Mali ALERT: Newspaper journalist detained overnight

Sidiki Doumba, journalist with Les Echos, a Bamako-based independent newspaper was on September 20, 2008 arrested and detained overnight at a police station in Kita, a town 15 kilometres from the capital.
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that a policeman accused the journalist of possessing a camera on a public transport.

Doumba was among passengers on board a public transport which the policeman had stopped to conduct an inspecting of identity cards. The correspondent said passengers who could not produce their cards were ordered to pay monies without being issued receipts.

The correspondent said the policeman became outraged on realising that Doumba was a journalist. He arrested and detained him at the police station till his release on September 21.

Media Foundation for West Africa