France, March 10 -- An RFI correspondent and a national TV journalist have been detained in Chad in a move condemned by press freedom advocates as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Following a further interrogation at the offices of the criminal investigation department on Saturday, journalist Olivier Monodji's custody has been extended until at least this Monday, when he will be brought before the public prosecutor of N'djamena.

Monodji, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale and publication director of the newspaper Le Pays, has been detained in the Chadian capital, since Wednesday, 5 March.

His lawyer, Allatha Amos, has slammed the arrest as baseless, stating: "The criminal investigation police were unable to tell us ...