Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of Jean-Bosco
Talla, the deputy editor of the privately-owned weekly “Le Front”, and one
of his reporters, Hervé Kémété. They have been held incommunicado since
their arrest on 10 February 2008 in the southern town of Zoétélé, to which
they had gone to photograph the property owned by several senior officials
and politicians including the defense minister.
“We do not understand why the authorities need to hide these journalists
away,” the press freedom organisation said. “There are appropriate and fair mechanisms when there is a dispute about a newspaper’s content. The arrests of these two journalists, their concealed transfers from one location to another, the hunt of other members of the newspaper’s staff and the overall lack of transparency surrounding this case are very disturbing and we have a right to demand an explanation from the government.”
Gendarmes arrested Talla and Kémété while they were trying to photograph the homes of defense minister Rémy Ze Meka, former finance minister Polycarpe Abah Abah and Alain Edgar Mebe Ngo’o, the head of the police criminal investigation department, who are all from Zoétélé.
“Le Front” founder and editor Peter William Mandio told Reporters Without
Borders they wanted to do a story on the property owned in the south of the country by several of President Paul Biya’s close political associates.
After being held for 48 hours at the headquarters of the gendarmerie in
Zoétélé, Talla and Kémété were taken before the town’s state prosecutor at around 5:00 p.m. (local time) on 12 February. They were then transferred to the port police station in the capital Douala where they were held for the next two days. It is not known where they are currently being held or if they have been charged.
Mandio meanwhile avoided arrest when police came to his home during the
night of 14 February, as he was absent. Le “Front”‘s staff are now all in
hiding. The authorities have not given any explanation for the arrest of
Talla and Kémété.
RSF
