Professional background:
Georges Baongla is a journalist and publication director of the independent weekly Le Démenti in the Cameroon capital, Yaoundé. Baongla, who is well known for his articles critical of the government, was previously arrested by police on August 22, 2001 for "publishing false news." That arrest came after Baongla published an article on August 14, 2001 linking the Minister of the Economy and Finances Michel Meva'a M'Eboutou to an embezzlement scheme. Police demanded that the journalist reveal his sources despite the country's press law, which protects journalists from such coercion. Following protests by local and regional human rights groups, authorities switched the charges against Baongla to "breach of trust." They then claimed the journalist was being detained for failing to repay US$695 that a nephew of Minister M'Eboutou had allegedly loaned him a few months before. Baongla denied ever receiving the loan. He was released on August 25, 2001.

Case history:
Police officers arrested Baongla at his home on January 9, 2002. Two days later, he appeared before a judge and was jailed at the Nkondengui central prison in Yaoundé. It was only then that Mr. Baongla discovered that in October he had been sentenced in absentia to five years' imprisonment and fined 17 million CFA francs (approx. US$22,800) for "fraud." Police officers also seized the newspaper's computers after his arrest. He officially stood accused of extorting 10 million CFA francs (approx. US$13,400) from an official at the Ministry of the Economy and Finances.

Le Démenti's editorial staff claim that the "accusations are groundless and were fabricated by the government." The staff argues the persecution follows the newspaper's publication of several articles denouncing the misappropriation of funds by the Minister of the Economy and Finances. Le Démenti has repeatedly accused the minister of embezzling public monies during the installation of a sewer system in the country.

Current status:
It is reported that Georges Baongla's prison sentence was annulled on August 4, 2003. The journalist had been provisionally released from prison on July 3, 2002

PEN considers Georges Baongla's imprisonment to have been in violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is pleased to report his acquittal.