Benin: Is the press being muzzled? The HAAC clarifies its decisions and sanctions
In response to criticisms of a supposed desire to restrict press freedom in Benin, the Secretary General of the High Authority of Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC), François Awoudo, provided some clarifications on Sunday, July 6, 2025 on Bip Radio.
SUMMARY
Reacting to the accusations of muzzling, François Awoudo called for more rigor in the analysis. “If you tell me now about the media that has been closed, that we should not have closed it, I can understand you. But was the media closed in violation of the texts?”, he questioned.
“When the law provides a provision, this provision must be respected. That’s all”, he hammered from the get-go.
For the Secretary General of the HAAC, this is not a settling of scores nor an abuse of power. “Not only do certain media not have a legal existence, but they stubbornly violate the legislation in force in the country”, he pointed out.
A matter of ethics and discipline
According to François Awoudo, many press organizations in Benin regularly flout ethical rules and the texts governing the sector.
“When we say: before giving the information, we shouldn’t advertise for example… the aspects that you don’t perceive. The statement you mentioned earlier about advertising for drugs.
Since this statement was published, up to now, no media has been closed. But I can tell you, I have already signed about twenty warning letters that have been sent to different press bodies both on radio and television and even for the online press as well. You don’t perceive this aspect.
The Secretary General reminded that the HAAC first privilege is pedagogy. “The day the HAAC decides to get things in order, to bang on the table, what impression would you get”, François Awoudo recalled.
For him, sanctions are never a first option, but the authority cannot remain inactive in the face of persistent violations and order must begin at some point. According to François Awoudo, closure decisions occur when warnings are ignored.
François Awoudo, Secretary General, thus reaffirmed the HAAC’s determination to continue putting things in order in the sector, even if it means taking firm measures when necessary.
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