US embassy cable - 05NDJAMENA946

UNCLAS  NDJAMENA 000946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, DRL, INR; LONDON AND PARIS FOR 
AFRICAWATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, KPAO, CD, Human RIghts 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT AND PRESS WRANGLING 
 
REF: NDJAMENA 863 
 
 1.  (SBU) Summary: Several incidents of press harassment 
over the past two months are raising concerns about the 
government's commitment to freedom of the press.  Each case 
is different but a combination of jitters over the public 
referendum and overzealous government officials have created 
the appearance of interference.  Nonetheless, over the past 
year, the HCC under Moussa Dago has been notably more active 
in curbing press activities.  Independent newspapers and 
radio stations continue to vociferously criticize the regime. 
Still, press and human rights communities believe that recent 
events are indicative that press harassment is on the rise. 
End Summary. 
 
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REFERENDUM-RELATED RULES 
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2. (SBU) The High Council for Communications' (HCC) issued 
guidelines for broadcasts of programs and commercials related 
to the public referendum.  (Reftel).  On May 11, the Supreme 
Court found that the HCC was in violation of the Chadian 
Constitution's provisions for press freedom, specifically 
Article 27.  The court decided that private radio stations 
have the right to determine program content.  HCC Chairman 
Moussa Dago disagreed with the court decision and went ahead 
with imposing limits on the timing and content of political 
programming.  However, messages from the ruling party's 
campaign were heard widely.  Journalists and human rights 
groups are highly critical of the HCC under Dago's leadership. 
 
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L'OBSERVATEUR EDITOR DETENTION 
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3. (SBU) On June 4, National Security Agency (ANS) personnel 
detained the editor of a newspaper for publishing an open 
letter from the Kreda ethnic group complaining about poor 
treatment at the hands of the Zaghawa.  ANS agents came to 
the newspaper office and requested to met the director of the 
newspaper, Sy Koumbo Singa Gali.  She was not at the office 
so the agents took Samory Ngaradoumbe, the editor, to ANS 
headquarters.  ANS director Chaibo called Gali and told her 
report to him.  According to Ngaradoumbe, Chaibo demanded the 
names of those who submitted the open letter to the 
newspaper.  Ngaradoumbe and Gali refused to name the source. 
Ngaradoumbe remained detained at ANS headquarters while Gali 
assembled editors of other newspapers, radio stations, 
unions, human rights groups, and lawyers to come to his 
defense.  Gali also contacted Minister for Public Security 
Moussa Abderahman and the public prosecutor.  Moussa arranged 
Ngaradoumbe's release from ANS to the judicial police. 
Ngaradoumbe was freed on June 6 on the grounds that ANS 
violated the Chadian press code by illegally detaining the 
journalist without pressing charges.  In addition, the ANS 
has no arrest powers.  On June 9, P/E officer, P/E Assistant, 
and Press Officer visited Ngaradoumbe.  He said that he was 
verbally threatened, but not otherwise mistreated at ANS 
headquarters.  Ngaradoumbe speculated that his detention was 
the result of overzealous agents. 
 
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RADIO BRAKOSS CLOSURE 
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4. (SBU) On May 29, the High Council for Communications (HCC) 
closed Radio Brakoss, a community radio based in Moissala, 
southern Chad for a third time.  Radio Brakoss has had 
problems with local authorities since last year.  On June 9, 
P/E officer and assistants met with Tchanguiz Vatankah and 
Claire Kemte Collete, the owner and director of the station. 
HCC said the station was closed for airing an in-depth 
discussion with the board of governors of Radio Brakoss.  The 
problem has its roots in a long-running feud between the 
station and the chief commander of the gendarmerie, Hissein 
Haggar, and the Prefect, Bouba Dalissou.  On this occasion, 
the radio station denounced the activities of coupeurs de 
route (armed robbers), the release of criminals by gendarmes 
from the prison, and the mistreatment of local citizens by 
 
herders and gendarmes.  Prior to the station's closure, 
Haggar and Balissou threatened Vatankah's life in the 
presence of the interim Minister of Communications Djividi 
Boukar-Dibeing who was on an official visit to the area. 
 
5.  (SBU) The HCC charges that the radio station is not run 
by qualified people.  However, Vatanakah pointed out that the 
director has a communications degree and continues her 
professional education.  According to Vatankah, the HCC wants 
him to re-open the radio station.  Vatankah refused because 
he has filed a case against the HCC in the Supreme Court and 
cannot re-open until the case is heard.  A second radio 
station, La Voix du Paysan, in the oil-producing region, was 
summoned by the Governor of Doba and warned to cease 
discussion the results of the referendum. 
 
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GOVERNMENT THREATENS LE TEMPS 
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6. (SBU) On May 27, the government publicly threatened to sue 
the newspaper Le Temps for publishing a picture of the 
massacre of members of the Ouaddai ethnic group at the hands 
of the Zaghawa at Ouadi Hamra earlier in the month. 
According to the interim Minister of Communication, Le Temps 
violated the press law by manipulating information coming 
from eastern Chad to impute the reputation of the government 
between May 25 and May 31.  He charged that the newspaper 
published a graphic photograph purported to be of the 
massacre victims with the intention of inciting public 
unrest.  He also  doubted the authenticity of the picture. 
The government has released a communique countering the 
information and photograph that appeared in Le Temps.  It is 
not clear if the government has initiated a court case. 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  (SBU)  Despite its considerable freedom to criticize the 
government, the press has on occasion become the target for 
government harassment because the opposition political 
parties are weak and the independent media is the key medium 
for shaping public opinion.  In these cases, the government 
may very well blame overzealous officials.  However, the 
government has taken no action against those officials 
involved in these incidents nor tried to correct the 
impression of intimidation they have created.  We intend to 
raise these incidents with the HCC, Minister of 
Communications, and Attorney General in coming days. 
WALL 
 
 
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