BBC fined for firing journalist for interview on Rwandan genocide
The Senegalese court found the BBC unjustified in firing journalist Jacques Matand Diyambi for interviewing Charles Onana, author of "Rwanda: The Truth About Operation Turquoise."
In its decision yesterday, the Dakar Labor Court found it unfair that the BBC fired Matand on the grounds that, while interviewing Onana in November 2019, he violated the principle of impartiality by not consulting the Rwandan administration and only giving the author a voice.
The court ruled that there was no evidence that the journalist had made a professional error.
The court, which described the BBC's termination of Matand's employment contract in February 2020 as an "unfair dismissal," ordered the channel to pay 10 million CFA francs to the Congolese journalist.
Matand stated that he is pleased with the decision restoring his rights.
Noting that the decision showed that he did not violate any BBC or journalistic rules, Matand said: "Of course, I would never return to the BBC after the treatment I received, but I am always passionate about my work."
According to the BBC's internal statistics, the Onana interview was the most followed interview compared to the other interviews in the same format.
BBC Africa Editor Anne Look Thiam stated in the dismissal letter sent to the journalist that the channel took this decision after a complaint from the Rwandan administration.
Rwandan officials, on the other hand, stated that they were not informed about the interview and that the BBC had not been contacted regarding the issue.
Rwandan President Kagame was accused of being part of the genocide.
In her controversial interview with Diyambi, Onana accuses the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, of committing genocide against the Hutu and causing the genocide against Tutsis by shooting down the plane of then President Juvenal Habyarimana.
Onana claims that Kagame condoned the massacre of Tutsis for the sake of power and acquitted the French leaders who supported the Hutu administration that committed the genocide.
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