Guinea bans French TV outlet over 'putschist president' label

Guinea bans French TV outlet over 'putschist president' label

Published on: Sep 18, 2026, 01:33:39 IST

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Guinea's media regulator banned French media outlet France 24 from broadcasting Thursday after a presenter called the country's leader a "putschist president".

The west African nation is ruled with an iron fist by President Mamady Doumbouya who first came to power via a coup, and dissenting voices have been reduced to a bare minimum.

Guinea's High Authority for Communication cited the TV channel's "remarks deemed to undermine the dignity of the head of state, Mamady Doumbouya".

On Wednesday, the HAC had issued a formal warning to France 24, asking it to "make the necessary editorial corrections across all its digital platforms".

The Monday clip in which Doumbouya is described as a "putschist president" remained visible on the channel's website Thursday, accompanied by a written message that called the wording an error.

Contacted by AFP, France 24 noted that it "apologised and corrected the error on air and online."

The HAC said it had revoked France 24's authorisation to broadcast in Guinea and that press accreditations had been withdrawn for its correspondents, special envoys and contributors.

The HAC also on Wednesday withdrew press accreditation for the correspondent of the French-language Jeune Afrique news magazine, accusing the reporter of "professional misconduct" without further explanation.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said such "decisions undermine the freedom to report and the public's right to diverse sources of information in Guinea".

It asked authorities "to immediately reverse these decisions and to guarantee media pluralism and the free practice of journalism".

Doumbouya came to power in a 2021 coup before being elected president in December 2025 in a vote featuring no significant opposition.

Since his rise, political parties have been dissolved, protests banned and numerous people expressing dissent have been arrested, convicted, forced into exile or have gone missing.

In recent years, access to the internet and social media has been restricted on several occasions.

France 24 has previously been banned in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, junta-run Sahel neighbours that have cut ties with former colonial ruler France and pivoted to an alliance with Russia.

The station is also not broadcast in Togo, where it was suspended for three months in 2025 and was never reinstated.

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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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