French journalist and researcher Wassim Nasr |
Prosecutors in military junta-ruled Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso launched investigations on Wednesday against the French journalist and researcher Wassim Nasr into what they called his “apology of terrorism” and “complicity” in alleged terrorist acts, in the latest action against the Western media.
Nasr, who works for the French
broadcaster France 24, gave a detailed analysis of a rare
deadly jihadi attack in Mali’s capital Bamako on Sep. 17.
The prosecutors accused him of
having been in contact with the attackers and that they communicated their
location, objectives and death toll in real time with him.
Nasr also made comments that
“amount to blatant acts of publicity and support of the terrorists,” Manzo
Hadiza, the deputy prosecutor of Niger alleged during a press conference
Wednesday.
Prosecutors from the judicial
divisions on terrorism in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso all issued the same
statement apparently in coordination, aired on their national televisions late
on Wednesday.
“They are trying to intimidate
anyone still contradicting their storytelling about security and control,”
Nasr, who is based in France, told the AP in a WhatsApp message. He said the
investigation by the three West African countries is a clear attack on journalism.
“We should all have a thought
about all journalists and civil society activists who are surviving under the
rule of those juntas, they are the ones who need support,” he added.
Local journalists in the Sahel
region, where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are located, are facing
increased security risks, the media freedom group Reporters
Without Borders said Tuesday.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso
have for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups,
including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following
military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled
French forces and turned to Russian
mercenary units for security assistance instead
But the security
situation in the Sahel has worsened since the juntas took power,
analysts say, with a record number of attacks and a record number of civilians
killed both by Islamic militants and government forces. Over the first six
months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed by the violence, according
to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a 25% increase compared
to the previous six months.
Meanwhile, the ruling juntas have cracked down on political dissent and journalists. Earlier this year, Malian authorities banned the media from reporting on the activities of political parties and associations.
Burkina Faso suspended
the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a
mass killing of civilians carried out by the country’s armed forces. Earlier
this year, Niger’s authorities ordered the closure of the “Maison de la
Presse”, an umbrella organization of Niger’s journalists’ associations, after
it denounced press freedom violations.
Nasr’s employer France 24 is
also suspended in all three countries over its coverage of the insurgency.
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