Freedom Neruda

Freedom Neruda (born as Tiéti Roch d'Assomption, 15 August 1956) is an Ivorian journalist. In 1996, he was imprisoned for seditious libel after writing a satirical article about Ivorian President Henri Konan Bédié. The following year, he won an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in 2000, he was named one of the International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the past 50 years.

Background Neruda was born in Duékoué, Ivory Coast, and is an alumnus of the University of Abidjan. After his graduation, he worked as a high-school mathematics teacher until 1988, By 1990, he was working as an investigative reporter under the name "Freedom Neruda".

After an unsuccessful attempt to start his own independent newspaper, La Chronique du Soir, Neruda agreed to take over the newly founded La Voie in 1991. With Neruda as its editor-in-chief, La Voie quickly went on to become the best-selling independent newspaper in Ivory Coast. On 11 January, Neruda, Koré and Sangar were convicted of "offenses against the head of state" and sentenced to two years' imprisonment apiece. "an annual recognition of courageous journalism". In 2000, the International Press Institute selected him as one of its "50 World Press Freedom Heroes" of the past 50 years, citing his "unwavering commitment to the principles of free expression despite the persistent efforts of President Henri Konan Bédié to silence La Voie's critical coverage of the government".