Courtesy( Committee for the Protection of Journalists)
New
York, April 3, 2013--In a wave of censorship, Cameroon has indefinitely banned
two TV programs for what regulators considered violent content and another
three radio programs on vague charges of ethics violations, according to news
reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the move, which also
includes the suspension of at least seven journalists.
"These
programs put a spotlight on the serious problems affecting Cameroonian
citizens, including crime, injustice, and corruption. The government has tried
to disguise its actions as a matter of ethics, but everyone can see it for the
censorship that it is," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "We
call on authorities to drop these censorship orders immediately and to halt
their continuing campaign to silence critical news and opinion."
The
National
Communications Council announced the censorship
orders via a press statement on Thursday. Representatives with the programs and the journalists
said they would appeal the ban. They have 10 days to present their case to the
council.
The council accused the TV programs of showing extensive segments
of "violent and indecent images," which it said violated government regulations. The stations had aired programs in
March that focused on gruesome murders in the country, according to news reports.
The council banned "Canal 2tective," a monthly
investigative program on independent broadcaster Canal 2 International, and suspended
its presenter, Ruben Malick Djoumbissié, from broadcasting for three months.
The program had probed the
discovery in recent months of the mutilated corpses of young girls found in
Yaoundé, the capital, and had raised questions about the possibility of ritual
killings and trafficking of organs. The program featured interviews with the
parents of the victims, as well as neighborhood residents and experts, and
discussed the inability of the authorities to end the crime spree, according
to footage reviewed by CPJ.
The council
also banned the weekly "IPP News" on the private
broadcaster LTM TV, and suspended its presenter, Josh Zela Amadou, better known as Awilo, from broadcasting for six months.
The station had dispatched a cameraman to report on the discovery of a headless
body on the street, according to local
journalists. Awilo told CPJ the images had also been shown by other
broadcasters which did not face repercussions.
In its orders banning the radio stations, the
council did not offer specific reasons, but cited general violation of what it
described as ethics violations.
The
council banned Youth FM's "Déballage" program, and suspended presenter Duval
Ebalè from broadcasting for six months, according to news reports. Ebalè told
CPJ he was seeking a meeting to obtain specifics about the reason for the ban.
He said the ban could be linked to the program's recent coverage of allegations
of financial irregularities surrounding a water project between the Cameroonian
government and a Canadian company.
Regulators
also banned Amplitude FM's "La Voix des sans Voix" (Voice of the Voiceless) program and suspended three
journalists--presenter Jean Jacques Ola Bebe, reporter Aimé Césaire Zambo, and
producer Claude Yong--for three months. The program acted as a platform for
local citizens to air personal complaints, including marriage disputes and
complaints about the police. Bebe told CPJ the council did not say what ethics
or rules the station had violated.
The council banned Sky FM's "Surface de Vérité"
program, and presenter Hervé Mfoula was suspended from broadcasting for three
months. Mfoula told CPJ the program had not received any prior warning. He said
the program often mediated personal complaints, most of which were resolved off the air. Joseph Olinga, the
station's manager, told CPJ that the council had issued a letter to the station
in May 2012 in which it had praised the staff's work.
Jean Tobi Hond, the
council's secretary-general, told CPJ he couldn't comment on the details of the
case, but that the council had evidence to support its actions. He said the broadcasters
had the right to appeal.
The
council, whose members are all picked by President Paul Biya, was granted broad
new regulatory authority to sanction or ban news outlets in January 2012 by a
presidential decree. Biya had created the council in 1991 as a
consultative body attached to the office of the Prime Minister to assist the
government in implementing and monitoring communications policy.
- For more data and analysis on Cameroon, visit CPJ's Cameroon page here.
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