Ladji Aboubacar Sanogo and Kangbé Yayoro, two reporters of pro-Ouattara Télévision Notre Patrie (TVNP) in Bouaké being held for alleged terrorist activities were on February 18, 2011 transferred to the Abidjan Civil Prison (MACA).

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent in Cote d’Ivoire reported that it is not clear when Sanogo and Kangbé’s trial would start as the state prosecutor has not fixed any date for their trial to commence.

The two who are facing a criminal charge of “offence against national security” appeared before the Public Prosecutor’s Department in Plateau.

The correspondent said the two journalists were picked-up at an Airbase in Abidjan on January 18 by the defence and security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, after arriving in Abidjan in a helicopter belonging to the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI).

Sanogo and Kangbé who were to undertake official assignments at the Gulf Hotel, the headquarters of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized President of the country, were severely tortured when they were arrested.

The correspondent said the charge was as a result of working for TVNP which belongs to the Forces Nouvelles (ex-rebellion) in the north of the country, which waged a rebellion against Gbagbo’s government in the early 2000s.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ivorian Police have begun grilling editors and journalists of six pro-Ouattara daily newspapers over their news reports in the wake of the political crises in the country.

In a letter on February 14 to the newspapers and signed by the Director of the CID, the newspapers were asked to appear before Raymond Tchimou Féhou, the State Prosecutor at the Plateau Magistrate’s court in an on-going enquiry on February 18 .

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent in Cote d’ Ivoire reported that the newspapers, Le Nouveau Réveil, Le Patriote, Nord-Sud Quotidien, Le Mandat, La Démocratie and Le Jour Plus, have since appeared before the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Diakité Mamadou and grilled for several hours without any charges preferred against them. They are however, expected to appear again this week.

The correspondent said the journalists were grilled in the presence of their lawyers on wide range of articles they published on the post-election crisis in the country. Some of the questions that were asked the editors and journalists were: “Who is the current President of Cote d’Ivoire?”, “Why did you enthusiastically announce the arrival of ECOMOG in Cote d’Ivoire?” and “Why do you refer to Gbagbo as ‘Mr.Gbagbo’ and Alassane Ouattara as ‘President Ouattara’?”

The correspondent said they were accused of “inciting the public to civil disobedience”, “insubordination with regard to the authority of the State”, “incitement to violence, insult of the Presidents of the Republic and Institutions, incitement to civil and religious confrontation and dissemination of information considered to be “top secret”.

The newspapers according to the correspondent risk closure if they are found guilty of the possible charges. They may face closure as was clearly hinted in the first communiqué issued by the pro-Gbagbo Advisory Body of the National Media Council (CNP) inaugurated on February 9.

Madeleine Tanou, female reporter of Soir Info, an independent daily newspaper on the night of February 6, 2011 received death threats from persons believed to be members of Groupement Patriotique pour la Paix (GPP), a pro-Gbagbo militias, for allegedly writing negative things about Laurent Gbagbo.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent in Cote d’Ivoire reported that Tanou received three SMS claiming that she now been supports Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognise president of the country.

One of the messages read: “It is you journalists of the Groupe Olympe who are saying bad things about Gbagbo. Be careful, otherwise, one day the GPP will visit you at night. As for you Tanou, we know where you live. You support the RHDP (Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace), you will see. When your premises went up in flames, was it not Gbagbo who bailed you out? And you go about castigating him. We are not joking. We will skin you alive. You will see.”

Another message read:”We thought that you were neutral, now you are supporting ADO (Alhassane Dramane Ouattara) and Bedie (Henri konan). If you do not take care, you will see what will happen to you. Do you remember your colleague who was killed last week and you, you must think”.

In a related development two other journalists have also received death threats. Assomon Anoh , director of community radio Bia FM , located in Aboisso, a town of about 122km south-east of Abidjan was threatened by persons suspected to be militants of Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy Peace(RHDP) for synchronizing his station’s programme with that of Gbagbo controlled state-owned Ivorian Broadcasting Corporation (RTI). Following a January 5 story on the alleged defection of 12 officers of Gbagbo’s Defence and Security Forces to Ouattara camp, Kesy B. Jacobs, editor-in -chief of the Nord-Sud Quotidien, a newspaper sympathetic to the RHDP, has been subjected to insults and threats on the telephone persons he suspected to be Gbagbo’s clansmen.

MFWA is deeply concerned about safety of journalists in Cote d’Ivoire. We urge the authorities and the two factions in the political crisis to guarantee and protect the lives and rights of journalists.

Sanogo Aboubakar and Kangbé Yayoro Charles Lopez, journalists with pro- Ouattara Television Notre Patrie(TVN) in Bouake, being held for alleged rebel activities were on the day of their arrests ( January 28, 2011 ) tortured by security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, according to their lawyers.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that the lawyers of journalists said their clients have been badly tortured to the extent that when they visited them on February1, at the police headquaters they could not immediately recognize them.

Brahima Coulibaly, lead counsel said that: “One had a swollen eye as a result of being smashed in the face with a butt of a gun and they were burnt with cigarettes,”

The correspondent said Sanogo and Kangbé, who are being investigated for allegedly “compromising state security”, were picked up at the Airbase of the Liaison Transport Air Group in Abidjan after arriving from Bouake in a U.N. flight to interview Alhassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized president of the country.

MFWA adds its voice to the call for the immediate and unconditional release of the two journalists.

Sanogo Aboubakar and Kangbe Yayoro Charles Lopez, pro-Ouattara of the Television Notre Patrie (TVN) in Bouake, the second largest city in Cote d’Ivoire, have been detained by security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo since their arrest on January 28, 2011.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that the two journalists were picked up at the airbase of the Liaison Transport Air Group in Abidjan where they were to board a flight belonging to the United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (ONUCI) to cover story at the Golf hotel, the seat of government of the internationally recogined president, Alhassane Ouattara in Abidjan.

The correspondent said the two Abubakar and Lopez who are yet to be released were accused described in the pro-Gbagbo media as being rebels Forces Nouvelles who are controlling the northern part of the country.

In a statement issued on January 29, the Ivorian Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CIPJ) condemned the arrest and subsequent detention of the two journalists and called for their unconditional release. CIPJ also appealed to the international media to help secure the release of the two journalists.