Emmanuel Toumani Camara, a journalist in N’zérékoré, a region located in the south-eastern part of Guinea was on December 29, 2009 reportedly picked up in his house and detained  at the regional police headquarters for two days without charge.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that armed policemen stormed the house of Camara, who is a local correspondent for privately-owned Conakry-based, L’Indépendant newspaper and violently dragged him to the station allegedly on the orders of a chief director in the office of the N’zérékoré governor, Hassane Sanoussi.

Two days after his arrest, on December 31, Camara was released upon the governor’s intervention. He was held incommunicado.  

The correspondent said the journalist’s arrest followed an article he wrote on the renovation of the governor’s office being funded by the European Union (EU). The article headlined: “Has the European Union suspended funding the construction of the N’zérékoré Governor’s offices?’ questioned why  the renovation was still in progress despite the EU  suspending  financial aid  to the country.

Meanwhile, MFWA has learned that the regional authorities have declared Camara a persona non grata and he has currently left the region.

 For more information please contact :

Kwame Karikari (Prof) 

Executive Director

MFWA

Accra

Tel: 233-21-24 24 70

Fax: 233-21-22 10 84

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Website: www.mediafound.org