{"id":1602,"date":"2025-08-20T15:05:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T15:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/?p=1602"},"modified":"2025-08-20T15:13:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T15:13:45","slug":"madagascar-threatens-criminal-sanctions-against-2-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/madagascar-threatens-criminal-sanctions-against-2-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Madagascar threatens criminal sanctions against 2 journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ga\u00eblle Borgia (left), a freelancer who contributes to TV5 Monde, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent Pauline Le Troquier (right). |Photos: Courtesy of Borgia, Le Troquier|.<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nairobi, August 19, 2025<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Malagasy authorities to retract threats of criminal prosecution directed at Ga\u00eblle Borgia, a freelancer who contributes to TV5 Monde, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent Pauline Le Troquier, and to ensure that the press can cover matters of public interest without interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the two journalists, Madagascar\u2019s Ministry of Communication and Culture wrote to the French media outlets in late July asking them to replace Borgia and Le Troquier as their correspondents in the country, accusing them of undermining public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letters, one of which CPJ reviewed, cited the journalists\u2019 recent<\/a> reporting<\/a> investigating the deaths<\/a> of at least 32 people<\/a> who attended a June birthday party in the town of Ambohimalaza, east of the capital Antananarivo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have attributed the deaths to intentional poisoning. Borgia\u2019s and Le Troquier\u2019s reporting questioned<\/a> the official explanation and suggested the deaths may have been caused by botulism<\/a>, a rare but potentially fatal illness that can be caused<\/a> by improperly handled or stored food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Malagasy government is exposing a worrisome intolerance of reporting that challenges official narratives,\u201d said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. \u201cAuthorities should withdraw their threats against journalists Ga\u00eblle Borgia and Pauline Le Troquier, and refrain from further attempts to intimidate independent journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borgia told CPJ that, in the letter, authorities accused her of breaching a section of Madagascar\u2019s media<\/a> law<\/a>, which carries a fine of up to US$2,260 for the publication of \u201cfalse news\u201d and said they would take legal action against her in accordance with Article 91 of the Malagasy penal code<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The code stipulates a prison sentence of one and five years for the dissemination of information that compromises public safety or causes serious political unrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Facebook<\/a> post<\/a>, a China-based Malagasy diplomat accused the journalists of \u201cstirring up hatred.\u201d In a separate post, a Malagasy senator called their reports \u201cfake news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CPJ reached out to the Minister of Communication and Culture, Volamiranty Donna Mara, via WhatsApp, and to the Malagasy Presidency via its website, but did not receive any response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ga\u00eblle Borgia (left), a freelancer who contributes to TV5 Monde, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent Pauline Le Troquier (right). |Photos: Courtesy of Borgia, Le Troquier|. Nairobi, August 19, 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Malagasy authorities to retract threats of criminal prosecution directed at Ga\u00eblle Borgia, a freelancer who contributes to TV5 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMadagascar threatens criminal sanctions against 2 journalists - GT South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/madagascar-threatens-criminal-sanctions-against-2-journalists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Madagascar threatens criminal sanctions against 2 journalists - GT South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ga\u00eblle Borgia (left), a freelancer who contributes to TV5 Monde, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent Pauline Le Troquier (right). |Photos: Courtesy of Borgia, Le Troquier|. 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