Gabon’s state-run media regulatory agency, the National Communications Council, suspended three newspapers on May 29, 2013, according to news reports.
The Council suspended private weekly Ezombolo for six months because of an April 22 column that criticized President Ali Bongo’s record in office, according to news reports.
The Council also suspended for six months the satirical supplement of La Griffe newspaper, Le Gri-Gri de la Griffe, on broad accusations of “indulging in indecency and vulgarity in most of its publications,” according to news reports. La Griffe Managing Editor Olivier Konaté told CPJ that prior to the suspension, the Council had warned the newspaper to tone down its content after receiving a complaint over a caricature of a former official.
The Council suspended La Calotte for two months after summoning Editor Habib Antoine Bibalou over articles critical of Investment Minister Magloire Ngambia and Alice Bikissa Nembé, deputy to the minister for health, local news website Infosgabon reported. The Council accused Bibalou of failing to report to several summons, according to news reports.