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The High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) has just decided to “suspend publication for a period of three (03) months of the weekly “La Dépêche”” as of March 4, the date notification of this decision weekly audit. 

In its publication No. 1185 of February 28, 2024, “La Dépêche” published an article entitled “The villainous assassination of Colonel Madjoulba, and if General Félix KADANGHA Abalo was Captain Dreyfus of Togo? »:

Following this publication, a hearing session took place on Friday, May 1, 2024 between the HAAC and Apollinaire MEWENEMESSE, the publication director of the newspaper. 

“As proof of the assertions contained in the article published in his newspaper on February 28, 2024, presented a leaflet, an unsigned document which according to him would be “a posthumous letter” from which the late Abdou ASSOUMA, President of the Court Constitutional during his lifetime would be the author",notes the HAAC, emphasizing that "other serious professional failings of the newspaper in the publication have been noted, in particular, the incitement to tribal hatred, the call for ethnic clash between officers in the army , incitement to popular revolt as well asinsinuations its foundations. 

The HAAC regrets that this is a “clear violation of professional rules of ethics and professional conduct, in particular article 2 of the code of ethics for journalists, article 35 of the press and communication code as well as the provisions of the organic law relating to theHAAC. »

The regulator, therefore, decides on the application of the provisions of article 65 of organic law No. 2021-031 of December 6, 2021 amending organic law No. 2018-029 of December 10, 2018 relating to the High Authority of Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC). 

Thus “La Dépêche” will be absent from newsstands for the next 3 months.