Radio FM-Liberté allowed back on air
Organisation:
Radio FM-Liberté was allowed back on air on 17 December. The
minister of public security and immigration Abdramane Moussa signed
an order that authorised it to resume broadcasting.
The radio was shut down on 21 October for „illegal operation and
deviant behaviour" after broadcasting an item that was highly critical of
President Idriss Deby. One journalist accused the head of state of being a
poor democrat and having brought in „predators, destroyers of the
economy and professional killers who hold the power of life and death
over other citizens".
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23.10.2003
Radio FM-Liberté closed
Reporters Without Borders has protested the indefinite closure, on 21 October 2003, of the community radio station FM-Liberté by the Public Security Ministry for
"illegal operation and deviant behaviour". This decision follows the broadcast
of a report that was very critical of President Idriss Deby.
"The evolution of freedom of expression in Chad had been relatively positive in
recent years. Unfortunately, we are compelled to note that certain subjects
remain taboo, especially when the president and his entourage are involved. In
spring 2003, two journalists spent two months in prison after criticising the
head of state's mother-in-law," said Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Robert Ménard. "This is not the first time that the country's authorities have attacked FM-Liberté, which is known to have close ties to human rights organisations," added Robert Ménard.
FM-Liberté recently compared President Deby to Hissène Habré, the former Chadian dictator (1982-1990), and accused him of having "brought in predators,
destroyers of the economy and professional killers who hold the power of life
and death over other citizens." On 17 October, the radio station's
editor-in-chief, Dobian Assingar, was called to order by the High Council of
Communications (Haut conseil de la communication) on order of Communication
Minister Moctar Wawa Dahab. On 21 October, a Public Security Ministry decree
stipulated that, "Radio FM-Liberté is closed from this day on, until further
notice, for illegal operation and deviant behaviour."
The radio station has been subject to government pressure in the past due to the
content of its programmes. During the 2001 presidential election, the station
was ordered to stop broadcasting political debates. The following year, Radio FM-Liberté was suspended for three weeks for disrupting public order after reporting on a student demonstration in Cameroon.
Published on
Updated on
20.01.2016