Guinea - December 2023

Media freedom and access to information in Guinea deteriorated further in December as the High Authority for Communication (Haute Autorite de la Communication, HAC) moved against three television channels and two radio channels. Citing national security, the HAC forbade the distribution of the television channels Djoma, Evasion and Espace through cable networks. FM radio broadcasts from Evasion and Espace are reportedly being jammed. Another private radio station, Ndimba, was informed that its broadcast license would be withdrawn for failing to pay annual fees (a charge that the station’s director denies). Meanwhile, social media platforms WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok have been inaccessible from Guinean IP addresses since the end of November. On 29 December, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk called on the Guinean government to reverse these measures and uphold freedom of expression.

Sources: Africa News, Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Bloomberg, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights