Cote d’Ivoire: Journalist Noël Konan Jailed Overnight, Fined Over a Tweet

On July 18, 2022, a court in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, convicted investigative reporter Noël Kouadio Konan of defamation under Article 89 of the country’s press law and fined him three million CFA francs (US$4,600) over a June 29 tweet, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

Konan’s lawyer, Serge Yao Kouadio, told CPJ by phone that he filed an appeal of the court’s decision on July 20. If Konan fails to pay the fine, which was suspended by the…