The vice-president of the Guinean Human Rights League, lawyer Claudina Viegas, today blamed the country's President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, for attacks on journalists and denounced the arrest of six teachers at the 2nd Police Station in Bissau.
The leader was speaking at the House of Rights in Bissau, at a press conference held by the League, the Union of Journalists and Social Communication Technicians (Sinjotecs) and the Order of Journalists of Guinea-Bissau.
The action aimed to denounce the police attack on two radio journalists who were covering a vigil for trainee teachers protesting against a government measure.
"The Human Rights League holds the President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, responsible for the attacks against journalists and other innocent citizens whose freedoms have been systematically confiscated" by the government, said Claudina Viegas.
The leader of the Human Rights League reported that six student teachers were detained during the vigil and have been held at the 2nd Police Station in Bissau since Wednesday.
Claudina Viegas stated that the League continues to "uncompromisingly" support all detained citizens and condemns the "brutality against journalists" who were beaten and arrested.
"These systematic attacks against journalists and their consequent impunity clearly and unequivocally demonstrate the dictatorial nature of the regime in power in the country and its intolerance towards the exercise of fundamental freedoms" of citizens, she declared.
The president of Sinjotecs, Indira Correia Baldé, stated that journalist Carabulai Cassamá (aka Alexandre), from Capital FM radio (a private station), had his femur broken and Turé da Silva, from Sol Mansi radio (of the Catholic Church), has "several injuries on his body".
"All Guineans know that freedom of the press and expression are under threat in Guinea-Bissau. In the last four years we have witnessed unprecedented acts", stated Indira Baldé.
The president of the Guinea-Bissau Journalists Association, António Nhaga, considered that the attacks on the two journalists on Wednesday in Bissau "are signs that they want to silence journalists".
Nhaga asked professionals to be guided by "a journalism of solutions", especially during the upcoming electoral campaign in the country. Guinea-Bissau is expected to hold early legislative elections soon, after the President postponed the ones he had called for November 24.
The Guinean head of state today regretted what happened to the two journalists and promised to inform himself about what happened, asking the police to exercise restraint, but also that they be respected.
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