Conakry: Journalist Arrested in Cosa as SPPG Demands Clarification

The Union of Press Professionals of Guinea (SPPG) has condemned what it describes as the “arbitrary” arrest of journalist Cheick Camara, a contributor to Cavi Médias, in a statement released on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

According to the union, the incident occurred around 5:00 a.m. in the Cosa neighborhood of Ratoma commune. Cheick Camara had reportedly stepped outside his residence to observe an eviction operation linked to a land dispute. The SPPG noted that the journalist neither filmed nor photographed the scene and had identified himself by presenting his professional press badge.

Despite this, he was allegedly apprehended by officers from the ECO 18 gendarmerie unit, forcibly taken away, and deprived of his phone. The statement further indicates that he was initially held at the unit’s premises before being transferred to Mobile Squadron No. 4 in Matoto. The SPPG claims that the journalist was detained for more than four hours “without any legal basis.”

The Union of Press Professionals of Guinea has described the arrest as a “serious violation of press freedom” and an act of intimidation targeting a media professional. It also pointed out that the incident comes just days ahead of World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3.

In its statement, the SPPG called for legal action against the officers involved, an end to violence and harassment against journalists, and greater respect for the authorities’ commitments to safeguarding press freedom.