Attacks on the Press in 2007 - Snapshots: Burkina Faso
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | February 2008 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2007 - Snapshots: Burkina Faso, February 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c5678323.html [accessed 2 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In January, two journalists from the private bimonthly L'Evénement were fined 300,000 CFA francs (US$680) apiece and given two-month suspended prison terms over articles that raised questions about the role of President Blaise Compaoré's brother in the unsolved 1998 murder of editor Norbert Zongo. Director Germain Nama and Editor Ahmed Newton Barry appealed the conviction.
In April, several e-mail death threats forced outspoken journalist and free speech activist Karim Sama into hiding. The e-mail messages pressed Sama to stop criticizing the policies of the government during his two popular reggae programs on Radio Ouaga FM. One message warned that Sama would be "gunned down" like Zongo.
A month after resuming his program, Sama's BMW was set on fire outside the studios of Ouaga FM, according to the Media Foundation for West Africa and local journalists. The September 28 incident occurred while Sama was hosting his music program. A police investigation was launched, but no suspects were arrested.
