Two French journalists who were employed by the newspapers Le Monde and Liberation in Burkina Faso have been expelled, the two publications announced on Sunday. They accused the government of trying to stifle free expression by intensifying their crackdown on foreign media.
Agnès Faivre, a reporter for Liberation, and Sophie Douce, a reporter for Le Monde, were reportedly called separately for interrogation by the military authorities on Friday and later informed of their expulsion. According to Liberation, they arrived in Paris early on Sunday.
The two are “perfectly honest journalists who worked lawfully in Burkina Faso with legitimate visas and credentials… Liberation issued a strong editorial complaint against these wholly unjustified expulsions on its website.
The Burkina Faso authorities didn’t issue a comment. A request for comment from Reuters was not quickly answered by the French foreign ministry.
Since the military of Burkina Faso took over the country in a revolution in October of last year, relations between Paris and Ouagadougou have drastically deteriorated.
“Perfectly honest journalists who worked legally in Burkina Faso with valid visas and credentials, the two are… On its website, Liberation published a strident editorial protest against these utterly baseless expulsions.
The Burkinabe government made no comments. The French foreign ministry took a while to respond to Reuters’ request for feedback.
Relations between Paris and Ouagadougou have drastically deteriorated since the military of Burkina Faso seized control of the nation in a revolution in October of last year.