SECTOR 1 1.3 There are no laws or parts of laws restricting freedom of expression such as excessive official secrets, libel acts, legal requirements that restrict the entry into the journalistic profession or laws that unreasonably interfere with the functions of media. Côte d’Ivoire has written laws that weaken or limit the exercise of freedom of expression, and since the last AMB in 2012, there have been no positive changes to alter the status quo. According to Article 68 of the law that governs the press: “imprisonment is excluded for media offenses”. However, without prejudice to disciplinary and administrative penalties to which they expose themselves, persons committing media offenses could face punishments foreseen by subsequent articles. Offenses that are considered to “be committed by means of the press or any other means of publication” include: offenses against the public good offenses against persons and goods/property; offenses against heads of state and foreign diplomats; offenses against institutions and their members. On the other hand, article 73 of the same law on the press, illustrates the limits on press freedom. “The spread of information, even if correct, is prohibited when such information concerns secrets of national defence and state security; attacks on the stability of the national economy; the content of a court case not brought before public audience; restrictions concerning minors.” The law governing the audio-visual press, in itself, lists at least eleven limitations on the press, one example being attempts to negatively affect the national economy. The law stipulates that journalists cannot go to prison within the framework of exercising their function, On the other hand, there are stipulations in the penal code that contain penalties depriving media freedom, and several examples exist to support this view. One panellist indicated, for example, that in 2012, some journalists spent three weeks in prison for reprising an article published by la Lettre du continent. The reason for their imprisonment was the offense of ‘an attack on the national economy’, even though the judge felt that this offense was unfounded. Thus, for the panellists, the magistrate can always find a flaw in order to imprison someone. The exceptionally high fines imposed for any offenses, as well as the suspension of appearances, further confirm the restrictive elements on the media of certain laws. All the positions expressing the excessive nature of the laws on freedom of expression were the subject of a seminar in Bassam in 2015, which made several proposals for reform. Panellists noted that these views and suggested reforms AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Côte d’Ivoire 2016 71