The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is disappointed with the conviction on June 10, 2024, of Barnabas Orou Kouman, Ismaël Balogou, and Romaric Fedjebe, all journalists with Daabaaru TV, on false publication charges.
The three, Kouman (journalist and owner of the TV station), Balogou (Editor-in-Chief) and Fedjebe (presenter of a popular talk show, “Jeudi Libre”), were each given suspended six-month prison sentences, and a fine of 500,000 FCFA (about $900). The sentence followed allegations made against the police by a caller into a popular call-in programme, “Jeudi Libre,” on April 4, 2024. The show was also suspended for one month.
The caller, Karim Bio Mago, had joked that the police at Sirarou Police station in Parakou, northern Benin, had stopped two individuals transporting a corpse on a motorbike and fined them 10,000 FCFA (about $17) because the corpse was not wearing a helmet.
Angered by the claim, the police summoned the three journalists for questioning. They were subsequently put before the Parakou Magistrate’s Court on the same day (June 10), on charges of “spreading false news and disseminating false information via social networks.” The court, however, declined jurisdiction. Following from this, the journalists were handcuffed and taken to Office Central de Répression de la Cybercriminalité (OCRC), the national anti-cybercrime office in Parakou, where they were questioned and released. The following day, June 11, 2024, they were brought before the same Parakou Magistrate’s Court, which accepted jurisdiction for the immediate trial of the journalists, leading to the journalists being given a suspended six-month prison sentence, and a fine of 500,000 FCFA each, along with a one-month suspension of the “Jeudi Libre” show.
The citizen behind the allegations admitted that he had only reported a rumour, without having witnessed the facts. In a statement, Daabaaru TV clarified the circumstances of the offending comments, and apologised to the national police services and the Sirarou police station in particular. The station said it would take measures to ensure there is no repetition.
The MFWA is deeply disappointed with the convictions of the three journalists over this affair. We believe they should not have been arrested and prosecuted in the first place. For such incidents, we recommend that the relevant media professionals associations be petitioned for settlement.
We also condemn the suspension of the “Jeudi Libre” programme, and call for it to be reinstated.
