Attacks on the Press in 2007 - Snapshots: Comoros
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | February 2008 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2007 - Snapshots: Comoros, February 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c5678530.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| 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 May, an affiliate of the national broadcasting corporation Office de Radio et Télévision des Comores in the breakaway island of Anjouan was ransacked by troops loyal to Anjouan leader Col. Mohamed Bacar during violent clashes with the national army, according to news reports and local journalists. Police subsequently detained overnight Editor Sardou Moussa, presenter Idiamine Nathir, camera operator Ousseine Mahamoud, reporter Chamssidine Nassuha, and an unidentified driver after they attempted to salvage equipment not damaged in the attack.
Following the clashes, authorities in the national capital, Moroni, summoned Director Aboubacar Mchangama of the private weekly L'Archipel for questioning over a front-page photograph showing soldiers of the national army held prisoner in Anjouan, according to media reports. All copies of the paper were ordered withdrawn from sale.
In July, after returning from a reporting trip to Anjouan, Editor Ibrahim Ali Saïd Félix of the private station Djabal Télévision, based outside Moroni, was questioned for 10 hours at Moroni's airport over his alleged links to the Anjouan leadership.
