By Ebi Kesiena
Guinea’s junta has defended its recent ban on several major TV and radio stations, citing frequent misconduct and violations of human dignity.
Heritage Times HT recalls that the military-led government announced recently that it had revoked the operating licenses of radio stations FIM FM, Radio Espace FM, Sweet FM, and Djoma FM, as well as Djoma TV. This action is the latest in a series of media restrictions implemented by the junta since it took power in a 2021 coup in the West African nation.
A statement issued by government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual Diallo and released on Saturday, explained that the affected stations had consistently violated “the obligation to respect human dignity and the demands of national unity and public order.”
READ ALSO: Kenya To Train 2,000 Haiti Police Officers In New Agreement
The government emphasized that the license withdrawals impacted only a few of the country’s 88 radio stations and 14 television stations.
In response, the three media groups affected by the ban issued a joint statement condemning the military’s “oppressive behavior.” Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that four private radio stations have been continuously jammed since November, three private television channels are nearly inaccessible, and at least three news websites were blocked for several weeks in 2023.
Guinea is currently ranked 78th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
