Guinea’s military leaders have issued a stern warning, threatening severe consequences for any violence that may occur during a scheduled protest on Thursday against press freedom and internet access restrictions.
In recent weeks, internet access in the West African nation, governed by military leaders since a 2021 coup, has been significantly restricted.
Authorities have imposed limitations on non-official media, with social networks and private radio stations disconnected, news websites interrupted or suspended, and journalists facing assault or arrest.
Minister of Territorial Administration Mory Conde, in a late Wednesday statement, strongly cautioned against “messages calling for violence.”
He assured the public of the government’s determination to neutralize individuals behind such calls and prosecute those responsible for any ensuing acts of violence during the planned demonstrations.
The Union of Press Professionals of Guinea (SPPG) has called for a demonstration on Thursday “to free the media and social networks”.
This move is endorsed by the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), a coalition opposing the ruling junta despite its dissolution.
Guinea’s military leaders had banned demonstrations in 2022, and Conde warned that any political or social organizations participating in Thursday’s protest risk suspension or outright banning.
Last week, Guinea’s foreign minister justified internet access restrictions to foreign diplomats, citing a “security problem” without providing further details. Diplomats from around 15 countries, including the European Union, the United States, and China, expressed concerns about limitations on freedom of expression and internet access.
On Wednesday, authorities suspended the news website depecheguinee.com for nine months following an article alleging embezzlement of a significant amount of Guinean public funds, supposedly blocked in Dubai.
French journalist Thomas Dietrich was recently arrested in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, as reported by the French trade union SNJ-CGT. Dietrich had been involved in an investigation into the National Petroleum Company SONAP and the assets of its general director.
