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Cameroonian
journalist Elie Smith has been expelled from the Republic of Congo. (Facebook)
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Abuja,
Nigeria, September 30, 2014 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns
Congolese authorities' decision to expel a Cameroonian journalist from the
country.
Elie Smith, who was attacked in his home in September, is the second
journalist whom authorities have expelled from the Republic of Congo in a week.
Police
on Friday went to Smith's office in the capital, Brazzaville, and ordered him
to leave the country, citing an expulsion order signed by the interior minister
forbidding him from returning to the Congo, according to news reports.
The police accused Smith
of unspecified seditious and subversive acts and comments and of working
against the interest of the government in favor of foreign powers, news reports
said. Smith works for the pro-government broadcaster MNTV,
which is owned by Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso's brother.
Smith
told journalists in Cameroon that he believes he was
forced to leave the country because he had demanded that police continue their
investigation into the September 10 attack on him and his family. He said he
had been told that the attack
was likely in retaliation for his coverage of the opposition.
Smith said that
the assailants who raided his home and attacked his sister were on the phone
with someone the entire time. Police later arrested suspects identified as Congolese security
personnel but did not apprehend the mastermind, according to news reports.
CPJ
contacted Interior Minister Raymond Mboulou by phone today, but the minister
disconnected the call after CPJ asked him what specific seditions and
subversive acts and comments Smith was accused of making. CPJ did not receive a
response to a text message sent to the minister.
"Someone
tried to silence journalist Elie Smith by attacking him and his family, but it
didn't work. Now authorities have tried to silence him by expelling him from
the country," said Peter Nkanga, CPJ's West Africa representative.
"We call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack on Smith
and his family and bring all perpetrators, including the mastermind, to
justice. We further call on them to allow Smith and all other journalists in
the Republic of Congo to do their jobs without fear of retaliation."
Smith
is the second journalist to be expelled from the Congo in a week. On September
23, police forced freelance journalist Sadio Kante to leave the country,
accusing her of disturbing the peace, drug consumption and illegal residence,
according to CPJ research.
Kante denied the allegations and said she was born in Brazzaville of a Malian
father and Senegalese mother. Kante said that her coverage of the attack on Smith had angered
police and that she had received threats after her stories were published,
according to news reports. She did not elaborate on the kind of threats she
received.
CPJ is an
independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide.
Contact:
Sue Valentine
Africa Program
Coordinator
Peter Nkanga
West Africa
Representative
Email: pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa
Representative
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
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