A MUZZLED CHADIAN PRESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 001379 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM CD PGOV SUBJECT: A MUZZLED CHADIAN PRESS REF: NDJAMENA 1327 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Losing readership and unable to report on the real news in Chad, representatives of the francophone print media are demoralized and frustrated. While independent newspapers reach only a small Chadian elite, the censorship imposed during the State of Emergency has dealt a severe blow to the last independent voice in Chad. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Ambassador met with representatives of Chad's independent print media on November 27 to discuss the effect of the State of Emergency (reftel) on freedom of the press. Representatives of Chad's leading print media participated, including the managing editors of Le Temps, Notre Temps, Ndjamena BiHebdo and L'Observateur. Under the State of Emergency, the media is barred from publishing anything affecting public order, national unity, territorial integrity and respect for institutions of the republic. All publications are subject to censorship prior to publication. It has reportedly taken the government some time to assemble the censorship board which is composed of representatives of the Ministries of Security, Defense, Territorial Administration and the Presidency. Even now, the process of obtaining clearance from the censorship board was described as time-consuming and unclear. According to participants, the Government has provided no formal guidelines on what can or cannot be published. NEWSPAPERS WITHOUT NEWS DO NOT SELL -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Meeting participants frankly acknowledged their frustration and concern with the censorship. Some argued that it was not clear what the Government of Chad (GOC) wanted to suppress -- was it the reporting on inter-ethnic fighting in the east, or was it interviews and reporting on rebel leaders? It was noted that both have been regular features in the independent press for some time. In any event, press representatives did not feel that they had precipitated the crisis by publishing sensitive information. They were also quite worried about the financial viability of their publications: a newspaper without news does not sell many copies, and they were losing readership. Participants pointed out that the 1962 law which the GOC had invoked for the State of Emergency predated the current Constitution. The Constitution of Chad does not have, in fact, any provisions dealing with press censorship. While unlikely to win, some were interested in pursuing the case through the courts to draw attention to what they considered the flagrant violation of the law. ¶4. (SBU) Participants reported that they had met on November 15, forty-eight hours after the State of Emergency was declared, to see if the independent media could take a common position. They had agreed to suspend publication for a week as a protest. Subsequently, the State of Emergency - originally put in place for 12 days - had been extended to six months. International partners (including the NGO Reporters Without Borders) had encouraged them to resume publication, arguing that after a certain point a suspension only justified the position of the regime. All have now recommenced publication, although some content is blacked out and identified as "censored." ¶5. (SBU) Concerning content, Notre Temps editor Benoudjita Najikimbo pointed out that an edition which contained quotes from Radio France International (RFI) and Le Monde (i.e. information available elsewhere) had passed the censors. However, Le Temps Director Michael Didama doubted that any independent reporting of the week's events, including rebel incursions into Chad, or any critique of the censorship itself would pass. While it was true that the international media was operating without prior censorship (e.g., BBC, RFI),Benoudjita recalled ruefully that he had had to "pick his words" in a recent radio interview with Voice of America. Some participants felt that RFI was "not telling the full story." Another noted that the arabaphone press had also been censored. HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS NDJAMENA 00001379 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (U) Concerning harassment of journalists, Notre Temps editor recounted the situation that had led to his office being searched by Chadian security services agents after he had distributed the Notre Temps edition that had been printed before the announcement of censorship. After one government authority told him he could distribute the newspaper, another forbade it. The authorities then searched his office and attempted to destroy copies of the newspaper. Participants also followed up on the fate of the Notre Temps journalist who had published a story in October intimating that the government was using child soldiers (although according to them, he never used the word "child soldiers," only calling them "poorly trained young people.") The journalist was not tortured, but was confined in a small cell (reportedly with some rebels from Central African Republic) for some 48 hours. He was still on notice that he may need to return to court, although a formal suit has not been filed against him. Additionally an Al Jazeera journalist was reportedly held briefly, questioned and then released on November 26. ¶6. (SBU) Recognizing that the independent print media reaches only a small portion of Chad's population, notably the literate elite, participants regretted that press censorship was effectively snuffing out the last organ of civil society able to fulfill its role and function independently in Chad. In closing, the Ambassador expressed the mission's support for the journalists, and noted that they could be assured that he would raise the issue with the government. COMMENT: -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Prior to last year, freedom of the press was one important exception to an otherwise poor human rights record in Chad. It is an also an area in which the United States has invested heavily through programs to train and professionalize reporters and editors. Press censorship in Chad is additional evidence of a regime under stress, concerned only for its day-to-day survival, and increasingly isolated and cavalier as to the impact of actions on the long-term development of Chad's nascent democratic institutions. WALL