A special chamber of the N’Djamena court on Tuesday acquitted journalist Monodji Mbaidiguim Olivier, Editor-in-Chief of Le Pays newspaper and Radio France Internationale’s (RFI) correspondent in Chad along with 15 fellow journalists, ordering their release after several months in detention.
Monodji Mbaidiguim, detained since March 5 at the N’Djamena prison alongside Mahamat Saleh Hisseine and Ndilyam Alladoum, had been facing charges of “colluding with agents of a foreign power and engaging in intelligence activities detrimental to Chad’s military, diplomatic, or economic interests.”
These charges carried a possible prison sentence of one to five years.
Despite the rejection of their bail request on July 2 and a two-year prison sentence requested by the deputy prosecutor, the special chamber ultimately ruled in favour of the journalists, ending the months-long detention that had drawn international concern.
CA/te/sf/lb/gik/APA