SECTOR 1 However, Article 3 of Act No. 60-12 of 30 June 1960 on freedom of the press stipulates that any newspaper or periodical may be published without prior authorisation or the deposit of a security. Article 5 stipulates: “prior to the publication of a newspaper or periodical, a declaration shall be submitted to the Public Prosecutor of the Republic and the Ministry of the Interior, containing: the title of the newspaper or periodical and the method of its publication; the name and address of the editor and, in the case provided for in Article 4, paragraph 2, of the co-editor; the details of the printing works where it will be printed”. In the view of the panel, it is therefore illegal to have to pay when making a declaration with respect to a print publication. Article 6 stipulates that declarations shall be made in writing, on the editor’s stamped and signed letterhead paper. A receipt shall be delivered subsequently. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 4.4 (2007=n/a; 2009 =4.6; 2011=3.2) 1.6 Confidential sources of information are protected by law and/or the courts. The laws of Benin do not protect confidential sources of information. But one panellist pointed out that in several defamation cases, the courts imposed suspended sentences on journalists. Journalists are not usually sent to prison for refusal to reveal their sources. The panel recalled the case of the journalist John Akintola of the publication l’Indépendant. Indeed, in June 2014, the Court of First Instance of Cotonou sentenced John Akintola to a suspended sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 CFA francs (300 euros) for insulting the Head of State. At the same time the newspaper was suspended for three months with effect from 16 July 2014 and the author of the article, Prudence Tessi, sentenced to two months’ non-suspended imprisonment. The controversial article mentioned the possible illicit financing of President Boni Yayi’s travels abroad thanks to funds from the Beninese Electric Power Corporation (SBEE). The CEO of the SBEE, Marius Hounkpatin, was dismissed as a result of this affair and has now left the AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BENIN 2014 71