On May 22, 2016, unknown assailants attacked the home of Baudelaire Mieu, a freelance journalist in Cote d’Ivoire.
The unknown persons reportedly broke into Mieu’s home at gunpoint and forcibly took his laptop while other valuables in the house were left untouched, raising concerns that the robbery was an attempt to get hold of the journalist’s working equipment.
Mieu, who is a correspondent for Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), American Bloomberg and Jeune Afrique, specialises in reporting on economics, politics as well as social issues and is often very critical.
In a statement released on May 23, 2016, RSF indicated that they have reason to believe that the robbery was in connection with the journalist’s work.
“This assault at gun point seems to have been a targeted goal to steal journalist’s work laptop and it is very worrying,” the RSF statement said. We are urging the Ivorian authorities to conduct a serious and thorough investigation that would permit to shed light quickly on the matter.”
Meanwhile Mieu has lodged a complaint against the unknown assailants (“plainte contre x”) at a police station in Cocody.
The MFWA joins Mieu in calling on the police to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
