In March, the official High Communication Council suspended for one month the private weekly Le Centrafriqu'Un in connection with an article critical of neighboring Chad, a close ally of the government in the deadly unrest spilling over from Darfur. The article outlined alleged human rights abuses by Chadian troops.

Michel Alkhaly Ngady, president of the country's private publishers group (known by its French acronym, GEPPIC), was jailed for two months after issuing public statements challenging the High Communication Council's authority to suspend Le Centrafriqu'Un. Ngady was convicted in April of resisting public authorities and showing contempt for the law. In August, the Supreme Court dismissed a suit filed by GEPPIC alleging that two presidential appointees to the council lacked the professional experience required by the agency's own bylaws.

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