A special court in N’Djamena has denied the provisional release request for journalists Monodji Mbaidiguim Olivier, Mahamat Saleh Hisseine, and Ndilyam Alladoum, who have been held in detention since March 5.
Monodji Mbaidiguim, editor of Le Pays and Radio France Internationale’s correspondent in Chad, is being held alongside his two colleagues at the N’Djamena remand center.
The three are facing charges of “interviewing agents of a foreign power and sharing intelligence likely to harm Chad’s military, diplomatic, or economic interests,” offenses that carry prison terms of one to five years.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the 9th deputy prosecutor called for a two-year sentence for each journalist.
The case involves a total of 16 journalists, though only three remain in custody.
The rejection of their bail request has sparked concern among press freedom advocates, as the case underscores growing tensions between the Chadian government and the media.
