GUINEAN GOVERNMENT TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS LOCAL NEWSPAPER

UNCLAS CONAKRY 001196

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM GV
SUBJECT: GUINEAN GOVERNMENT TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS LOCAL NEWSPAPER



1. (SBU) According to an October 30 local radio report, the Guinean
National Council on Communication (CNC) suspended operation of the
La Nouvelle newspaper for a period of one month. The suspension
went into effect October 29 and ends November 29. The newspaper's
publisher, Mr. Moussa Iboun Conte, was reportedly charged with
having published a declaration issued by some soldiers protesting
unpaid back wages in his October 10 edition. In the declaration,
the soldiers said they would take to the streets and demonstrate if
they were not paid soon. The CNC reportedly claimed that the
published declaration could have negatively affected soldiers'
morale, thereby inciting them to violence that could lead to further
civil unrest.


2. (SBU) COMMENT. Although La Nouvelle is an independent
publication, all newspapers depend on the CNC for an annual stipend
of about $100,000, which is divided among qualifying press
organizations. The Guinean press is generally free to criticize the
government, but occasional incidents such as this one suggest that
there are certain undefined limitations. It is not always clear
where the line is drawn, but CNC press suppressions generally result
from reporting on specific government officials that the CNC feels
are libelous or reports that allegedly stir up social unrest. END
COMMENT.

CARTER