Dateline: OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (Human Rights Press)
Lead paragraph: In an alarming escalation against press freedom, Burkina Faso’s military government has suspended several more international media outlets over their coverage of a report accusing the army of killing 223 civilians. The crackdown comes after the government previously banned the BBC and Voice of America for reporting on the alleged massacre detailed by Human Rights Watch.
The suspensions target French broadcaster TV5Monde for two weeks as well as the websites of German outlet Deutsche Welle, French newspapers Le Monde and Ouest-France, British newspaper The Guardian, and African news agencies APA and Ecofin until further notice.
In a joint statement, the UK and US governments condemned the restrictions, stating “Free and independent media must be permitted to conduct investigations and good-faith reporting without fear of reprisals.” They urged Burkina Faso authorities to reconsider the decision.
The Human Rights Watch report accused Burkina Faso’s military of killing 179 people in the village of Soro and 44 others in nearby Nondin in February, calling it the country’s “worst army abuse” in nearly a decade. The group said it believed the killings were retaliation for villagers allegedly aiding armed Islamists.
While denying the allegations, the military junta has lashed out at media covering the report. Communications Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo claimed Human Rights Watch identified “the guilty” with “boundless imagination” before an official inquiry concluded.
International and human rights groups have repeatedly accused Burkina Faso’s junta of serious violations, including extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of civilians, in its fight against Islamist militants. The conflict has escalated severely, with over a third of the country now controlled by jihadists.
Human Rights Perspective: “This disturbing media crackdown shows the military rulers of Burkina Faso are determined to suppress all reporting of potential war crimes by their forces,” said Reed Brody, Human Rights Watch’s Brussels director. “By lashing out at journalists, Burkina Faso’s authorities are compounding one atrocity with another – depriving the population of their right to know.”
“Unchecked, this assault on press freedom will enable further abuses by allowing security forces to operate in the shadows,” Brody added. “The African Union and United Nations must forcefully condemn these restrictions and press for full accountability.”
