Three Journalists Arrested in Ivory Coast for Reporting on Cocoa

Update 7/26/10: After over 1,000 Change.org members signed the petition in support of the Ivorian journalist, they have been released today.

Readers of this blog may be familiar with the dark side of the chocolate industry, which is plagued by corruption, child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in the West African nation of Cote d'Ivoire. A critical component in exposing the realities behind the cocoa trade is the role of local journalists based in West Africa. Unfortunately, reporters sometimes experience repression when they shed a light on aspects of the cocoa industry that those in power would rather keep hidden. That is exactly what happened to three journalists in Cote d'Ivoire last week and they need your support.

Last Tuesday, the Ivorian newspaper Le Nouveau Courrier published a story about the findings of a judicial inquiry into corruption in the management of Cote d'Ivoire's cocoa industry. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest cocoa producer, accounting for 40% of the global cocoa supply. Labor abuses have long plagued this sector and just this morning, the U.S. Department of Labor included cocoa from Cote d'Ivoire on a list of products that federal contractors must certify are not produced by forced or indentured child labor due to widespread abuses in the industry. The cocoa sector is managed by a government cocoa board that has long been plagued by allegations of corruption. Officials working on the cocoa board are believed to be close to top political officials and corporations and have tapped into the profits from cocoa for a range of personal and political purposes. A Global Witness report from 2007 examined the role that corruption in the cocoa industry has played in fueling conflict in Cote d'Ivoire and the inquiry into these issues that the journalists were reporting on already led to the imprisonment of over 20 former officials of the cocoa board.

Shortly after the article was printed,  three journalists from Le Nouveau Courrier, including editorial director and noted blogger Théophile Kouamouo and senior editors Stéphane Guédé and Saint Claver Oula, were apprehended by the police. They are currently being charged with the theft of public documents for reporting on the government inquiry into corruption in the cocoa board. The journalists are refusing to identify their sources for the article, which is a right that is fundamental of their profession. It has been reported that Oula, who is also a local reporter for Voice of America, is suffering from a stomach ailment and has begun a hunger strike. The latest report from Reuters indicates that the public prosecutor is recommending a one year jail sentence and an almost $20,000 fine for the reporters.

Tragically, this is not the first case of repression of journalists investigating the Ivorian cocoa industry. In an infamous 2004 case, a French journalist, Guy-André Kieffer, disappeared after receiving threats for his coverage of corruption in the cocoa industry. His case remains unsolved today.

International organizations such as the International Press Institute, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, the Media Foundation for West Africa, and Global Voices have all spoken out about the unjust detention of these journalists. Other reporters in Cote d'Ivoire are calling for the release of their jailed colleagues and are organizing events, including a campaign titled "Who Will Be Next?" There are also two Facebook groups in English and French to show solidarity with these reporters.

As people concerned about trafficking and labor abuses -- as well as human rights in general -- we need to show our support for journalists who uncover critical information and help us understand these systems of exploitation. As Change.org Human Trafficking blogger Amanda Kloer recently noted, the media plays an important role in fighting human trafficking, but has often not lived up to its responsibility. When reporters who work to expose the truth face government repression, it can have a chilling affect on all of those who speak out. Journalists in Cote d'Ivoire in particular have played an essential role in providing some form of public accountability for governmental and corporate malfeasance. Please take a minute to send a message to the government of Cote d'Ivoire that we will not accept violations of freedom of the press.

Photo credit: bbcworldservice