Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Benin
  • News

Police beat journalists, break up demonstration

Country Map - Benin IRIN
La carte du Bénin
    ABIDJAN

    Police in Benin beat up two journalists working for private media and violently broke up a demonstration they were covering at a university near the commercial capital, Cotonou, AFP reported on Friday. AFP said Joel Gbegan, of Golfe FM radio, and Laurent Akobi of 'La Cloche' daily newspaper were attacked on Thursday while covering the violent dispersal by police of the protest march at Abomey Calavi University, some 25 km north of Cotonou.

    The Union des journalistes de la presse privee du Benin (UJPB) condemned the act on Friday. It appealed to journalists and citizens to fight for press freedom and legally challenge such abuses so that they would not be repeated. As a sign of support for their two colleagues, the UJPB did not attend an official ceremony at which the Minister of Culture and Communication, Gaston Zossou, was to have offered his new year wishes to the press.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join