Washington — The journalist whose interview with a terrorist organization led Burkina Faso to suspend France 24 spoke with VOA about what he describes as a decline in media freedoms in the country. The military government halted the international broadcaster after it aired an excerpt of an interview with the head of a regional al‑Qaida affiliate earlier this month. The journalist, Wassim Nasr, told VOA that Burkinabe leaders have been looking for a pretext to shut down the network as part of an ongoing effort to control information flow. “When we speak to Burkinabe journalists, human‑rights activists, or civil‑society advocates, they all feel that banning free press is happening today, bit by bit,” Nasr said. “They are very scared to speak out about what is happening and what is going wrong in the country.”
VOA reached out to Burkinabe authorities for comment, but received no response at the time of publication. Government spokesman Jean‑Emmanuel Ouedraogo argued that the France 24 interview with the head of al‑Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb acted as a mouthpiece for the terror group. “Without contesting the freedom of the channel’s editorial choices, the government nevertheless questions the ethics that govern the professional practice of journalism on France 24,” he said.
The suspension has drawn criticism from press‑freedom groups, including Reporters Without Borders, which called the action “a blatant attack on press freedom” and urged the government to lift the ban immediately. It follows a December decision to suspend the French radio broadcaster Radio France Internationale for its reporting on terror attacks.
Dieudonné Zoungrana, editor‑in‑chief of the daily Aujourd’hui au Faso, told AFP that the climate for journalists is very tense, but noted that the country is at war and the government is naturally hesitant to give a platform to the enemy. “With this axe that fell on France 24, it is also a warning shot for the local press, for the national press, that must be a bit careful,” he said. “In the background, it is about how to treat information in times of war—whether we have to say everything, give everyone a floor. There are problems being raised.”
Nasr explained that the interview with al‑Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb leader Abu Obeida Youssef al‑Anabi, also known as Yezid Mebarek, took nearly a year to arrange. He sent Mebarek 17 recorded questions, to which the terrorist responded with voiced answers. France 24 aired only 20 seconds of the audio as proof of the leader’s statements. Nasr said he carefully contextualized Mebarek’s remarks and included contradictory facts when necessary. “I analyzed what he said, picked out the interesting informational parts, contextualized them and even contradicted him on many issues,” he said.
For instance, when Mebarek denied AQIM’s responsibility for the Solhan massacre that killed at least 138 people, Nasr cited sources indicating that an undisciplined AQIM unit was indeed involved. “I said on screen that he was wrong, that they are responsible, despite his denial,” Nasr explained.
Nasr argued that interviewing extremist leaders is essential for helping viewers understand their ideology and tactics; it does not equate to justifying their actions or providing a recruitment platform. “Talking to jihadists, interrogating them and asking questions is part of my job,” he said. “We are journalists, so we have to talk to all parties. I am not the spokesperson of the French government, nor of the Burkinabe government, nor of any government. It is my job to talk to all parties.”
Some information in this article came from Agence France‑Presse.
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