Prisonniers de droit commun : les journalistes dénoncent

Common right prisoners: journalists are denouncing 

Journalists have displayed evidence of a wave of solidarity when asking for the immediate release of their colleague held in custody on charges related to the Support Regiment’s aborted mutiny of Ampahibe. The hindrances continuously generated by the imposed authorities against free press have finally been shouted loud. 

The political crisis has been having nasty side effects on Malagasy journalists: One cameraman shot dead during the premeditated assault on the presidential palace, arsons of media groups’ facilities, and reporters constantly threatened and jailed…The year 2009 happened to be an awful disaster. And the year 2010’s beginning does not look much better for the country’s free press. “We used to think that jail sentencing against reporters would restrict to Radio Mada’s Ramanantsoavina Evariste”, conceded Rolland Andriamahenina, one of the animators of the movement calling upon the release of Radio Fahazavana’s colleague. The battle for freedom of speech and press freedom, both deeply dented by the latest twelve months’ rulers, is definitely starting.  

A rising wave of solidarity is calling upon the releases of Radio Fahazavana’s reporter Lôlô Ratsimba, and director, Didier Ravoahangiarison. “At the time of Maputo III, these authorities had discriminated the journalists who did their job, and labelled them traitors to the nation; and they are, now, accusing a reporter to be actively connected to an attempted Coup?”, protested reporter Rolland Andriamahenina. Then, he fustigated the authorities led repeated breaches of press freedom, namely the hindrances to access sources, and the various deterrents. Prohibition is also adding up to the one year old press predators’ techniques.  

In the case of the aborted mutiny attempt in the Ampahibe base camp of December 29th, 2009, the defence secretary had declared that other journalists could, somehow, be investigated. What are the charges held against reporter Lôlô Ratsimba? Being on the scene to provide coverage and to report on going events? The minister in charge of Communication tried to moderate uprising journalists by pledging that the suspect is being charged as a citizen. According to Nathalie Rabe, the charges are neither related to information report nor to press offence, but rather to an attack against state security. Common right is, henceforth, used to lecture journalists and master the opposition’s press, the incentive is crystal clear, and somehow, it fails to moderate the potential targets.  

The Justice minister held the journalists’ contestation statement as baseless. Christine Razanamahasoa sang the same soft melody as that of her governmental colleague. It is a common right offence; Lôlô Ratsimba has not been jailed because he is a journalist. According to the minister, the radio station’s reporter was officially present in the camp of Ampahibe at 03:30 a.m. Didn’t the investigation officially charge him for being there at 04:00 a.m.? The victim emphasized that he moved to the scene no earlier than 05:30 a.m. in response to a call from a listener living in Ampahibe. According to the Justice minister, CDs containing some declarations found on Journalist Lôlô Ratsimba are evidences of his active involvement. But didn’t other channels make a statement produced by the mutinous chief master sergeant public? 

If providing coverage to a mutiny was a common right offence, the Ravalomanana administration should have jailed all the reporters who covered the decisive press conference produced the mutinous colonels in March 2009 in the CEMES Soanierana facility, shouldn’t it? Precisely the coverage of this statement has turned things upside down. The imposed authorities’ sensitiveness is being easily comprehended, since they had themselves used the Medias to serve their greed. In the end, Malagasy journalists happened to have been the instruments and the impotent witnesses of a “transition” from a legal State of Law to a pariah State of Their Law.