PRESS FREEDOM AND THE BATTLE OF THE SPEECHES

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 001165

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, DRL, INR, LONDON AND PARIS FOR
AFRICA-WATCHERS, AF/PD (DWHITMAN)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OIIP KPAO PHUM CD
SUBJECT: PRESS FREEDOM AND THE BATTLE OF THE SPEECHES
SENSITIVE
REF: NDJAMENA 864, 946


1. (SBU) Summary: The government of Chad has continued to
harrass and imprison journalists, despite pressure from the
United States, and outcry from the local and international
press and groups like Reporters Without Borders. Two
journalists have been sentenced to three months and three
years in prison, respectively. Two others are now under
threat of imprisonment. The Ambassador's Independence Day
speech received massive media coverage, as did the 14th of
July speech given by the French Ambassador. The general
perception in the independent press is that the United
States supports press freedoms, while France has clearly
sided with the government of Chad in punishing what the
government media views as irresponsible journalism. End
Summary

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UPDATE ON ARRESTS
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2. (SBU) Al-Hadj Garond Djarma and Samory Ngaradoumb of
the independent L'Observateur have both been sentence to
prison terms. Ngaradoumb received a three-month sentence
and must pay a 100,000 FCFA ($183.00 USD) fine. Djarma
received a three-year sentence and must pay 1,000,000 FCFA
($1,830.00 USD). Both were charged with defamation and
inciting racial hatred. A third journalist, Michael Didama
of Le Temps, is awaiting his trial date of August 1. The
pro-government paper Le Progs reported on July 20 that a
fourth journalist, Mrs. Sy Koumbo Singa Gali of
L'Observateur, will also face prosecution for publishing an
an
interview with Djarma in which he claimed that his arrest
was "Jandjaweed trickery."

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MEDIA REACTION TO AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS
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3. (SBU) The Ambassador's Independence Day remarks
received huge coverage in the press. Public Affairs staff
with years of experience cannot remember a speech that
received so much attention. The speech was reprinted in
its entirety in three French-language papers and two
Arabic-language papers. At least four local radio stations
played large excerpts of the speech, some with added
commentary. TeleTchad, the government-owned television
station, also had a lengthy report that focused more on the
event than the content of the speech. Opinions on the
speech were generally divided along pro-government and
opposition lines. The pro-government press chose to
largely ignore the content of the speech, focusing instead
on the Embassy's recent equipment donations to the press.
The independent N'Djamena Bi-Hebdo published a large
excerpt of the speech, then stating, "could one find a more
severe criticism of the policies undertaken by the Deby
regime?" Commenting on France's role in Chad, Bi-Hebdo
continued, "the language of frankness and truth [in
Ambassador Wall's speech] that should inform our relations
has never come from the French authorities, who have
instead encouraged () the autocrats of N'Djamena."


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FRENCH AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH
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4. (SBU) France's Ambassador to Chad Jean Pierre Bercot
spoke to an audience of several hundred at the annual
celebration of Bastille Day on July 14th. More than half of
the ten-minute speech was devoted to a discussion of the
press. Berot began by detailing the large amount of aid
that France has given to the Chadian press (200 million
FCFA, or $370,000.00 USD, over the last four years).
Berot then explained at length exactly what type of free
ee
press France will support in Chad: "Yes, France supports
and will support an investigative press, and not a
manipulative press that confuses facts and commentary. Yes
France supports and will support a free and independent
press, and not a partisan press, allied with specific

interest groups. Yes, France supports and will support a
press that respects Chadian national dignity, and not a
press that seeks to dirty, by any means, the external image
of Chad and of Chadians."

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PRESS REACTION TO BERCOT'S SPEECH
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5. (SBU) Bercot's remarks were met with general outrage
in the independent press, where they were viewed as
supporting the government's campaign of harassment and
arrest of journalists. Bi-Hebdo called Bercot "a cold
monster," while the headline of the July 21st issue of the
independent Le Temps wonders whether he is an "ambassador
or colonial governor." In their by-line, Le Temps accuses
the French ambassador of being "visibly jealous of the very
lovely friendship that has developed between the U.S.
Embassy and the Chadian press", accusing Bercot of
transforming the Bastille day celebration into a "forum for
organizing a trial of Chadian journalists based on
assumptions rather than facts." Surprisingly, even the
pro-government Le Progrs printed a very balanced account
of Bercot's speech, and included several opposition
opinions in their analysis. However, radio FM Liberte has
received a letter from the High Council for Communications
demanding that the station stop airing criticism of the
French Ambassador's speech.


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COMMENT
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6. (SBU) The independent press seems to view the U.S. as
one of their most ardent defenders during the recent spate
of trials and arrests, especially since the Ambassador's
Independence Day remarks coincided with a $60,000 USD
equipment giveaway to the press public and private.
.
Chadians are often quick to criticize their former colonial
leaders, and they jumped on the chance to attack Bercot for
his comments. The French are normally viewed as pro-regime
by the independent press, and Bercot's remarks have done
much to strengthen this view. The U.S., which is now seen
as a strong friend of press freedoms in Chad, also risks
being viewed as anti-regime or anti-Deby, both by the
government and in the pro-government press.


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