Freedom of expression is under attack, Amnesty says

Amnesty International has expressed concern that freedom of expression is once again under attack in Guinea-Bissau. It said in a statement on Wednesday that two journalists faced defamation charges, while others had been detained and harassed in recent months for criticising government policy or reporting issues deemed sensitive by the authorities. It called on the government to “take immediate steps to end the arbitrary detention and harassment of journalists and to bring those responsible for such abuses to justice”.

In the latest incident, state security police arrested two journalists of the ‘Diario de Bissau’ newspaper - its owner, João de Barros, and reporter Athizar Mendes - on 17 and 18 June respectively. There were apparently no warrants for the arrests of the men, who were accused of publishing an article criticising the government’s mishandling of public funds and corruption. They were held in the state security department of the Interior Ministry until 19 June when they were released on bail. They are now awaiting trial on charges of defamation and slander, which carry a prison term of up to a year or a fine, and have to report to a Bissau court every two weeks, Amnesty said.