La Voie Originale, LG infos and Aujourd’hui, three ivorian newspapers, have been suspended on Friday by the national press council (CNP) for publishing “wrong information.”
The decision was made few days before the start of the campaign of the legislative elections scheduled for December 18.
LG Infos and Aujourd’hui are banned from publication for seven issues for publishing “wrong information”, the CNP said. La Voie Originale is banned from publication for 26 issues for assigning wrong titles to Affi Nguessan, the leader of FPI (Ivorian popular front,) a strong opposition party in Côte d’Ivoire.
La Voie Originale and Aujourd’hui have already been punished on October 21 this year, the day before the opening of the campaign for the new constitution referendum.
Cesar Etou, editor in chief of La Voie Originale, spoke out against the CNP’s decision, arguing that “we are target of several threats, not for professional misdemeanors”, AFP reported.
The three newspapers are seen as slinger supporters in FPI. They demand the boycott of the legislative elections, while their opponents in the same party will run for these elections.
FPI has been facing an internal division since 2013, when its actual leader, Affi Nguessan, run for president. This party’s slingers still challenge Nguessan’s authority, by supporting Laurent Gbagbo (FPI president founder.)