Guinean security forces have arrested at least 12 journalists who were demonstrating against censorship, using tear gas to disperse the protest.
The Private Press Union of Guinea (SPPG) had called for a march in the capital Conakry on Monday to demand that authorities lift restrictions placed on the Guinee Matin news site.
Since August, the site has only been accessible within Guinea with the use of a VPN.
Reporters Without Borders has created a mirror site to allow people inside the West African country to read its content.
Guinea's ruling junta, which seized power in September 2021, has not provided any explanation for the blockage.
Banned protests
"We intended to gather at the roundabout by the port," Abdouramane Diallo, an SPPG official, said.
"The mixed police and gendarmerie forces gassed us," he said, adding that one journalist was slightly injured.
The secretary-general of the SPPG is reportedly among the dozen journalists arrested and brought to a court for criminal participation in an illegal assembly.
The junta has banned protests since 2022.
Four press associations said in a joint statement that they "condemn this gratuitous violence committed against journalists" and "demand their immediate and unconditional release."
"The press associations call on the national and international community to witness the serious decline in freedom of expression and democracy," they added.
