19 April 2007

Alert

Presidential press secretary threatens to close radio station


Incident details

radio station(s)

threatened

This is available in:

English Français
(MFWA/IFEX) - On 17 April 2007, Barnabé Gomes, a presidential press officer, threatened to close Radio Bombolom, an independent radio station based in Bissau, the capital, for allegedly broadcasting a programme that he claimed could worsen the country's political situation.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) correspondent reported that after the press officer's unsuccessful bid to stop the programme's broadcast, he threatened to close the station.

Barnabé Gomes alleged that a similar broadcast resulted in the former prime minister, Aristides Gomes, losing his job.

This is not the first time that that the radio station has been threatened with closure.

On 15 November 2006, a group of President Joao Bernardo Vieira's supporters besieged Radio Bombolom and forced journalist Antonio Iaia Seidi to disclose his source of information (see IFEX alert of 6 December 2006).

The angry group also forcibly broadcast a rejoinder to an earlier story filed by Seidi.

The MFWA condemns these threats, which have the tendency to undermine media freedom in Guinea-Bissau.



Source:

Media Foundation for West Africa
PO Box LG 730
30 Duade Street, Kokomlemle
Legon, Accra
Ghana
alerts (@) mediafound.org
Phone: +233 302 242470
Fax: +233 302 221084
 

Stay on top of free expression news.

Sign up to receive the weekly IFEX Communiqué.


Guinea-Bissau

Newspaper given reprieve as suspension threat lifted 28 April 2011 Government urged to lift suspension of newspaper 21 April 2011 Pioneer of independent journalism attacked in his newspaper's offices 21 May 2010 Armed forces briefly silence broadcast media after murder of president and chief of staff 6 March 2009 Journalist detained briefly, interrogated by intelligence services following publication of article on army's involvement in police force promotions 14 March 2008 See all alerts: Guinea-Bissau


 
The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) is a global network of 95 organisations working to defend and promote the right to free expression.
Permission is granted for material on this website to be reproduced or republished in whole or in part provided the source member and/or IFEX is cited with a link to the original item.