IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - LIBERIA

6 June 2003

Six radio stations shut down

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org [2]
and www.mediafoundationwa.org [3] for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

The government of Liberia has shut down six amateur FM radio stations
operating in Bong County, central Liberia, and Margibi County, some 40
kilometres east of the capital, Monrovia. The stations affected include
Y-FM, Bright FM, Jet 89.9, The Voice of Kakata and the Voice of YMCA.

According to MFWA's Liberia sources, no specific charge has been preferred
against them. However, the director of the National Communication Bureau at
the Ministry of Information, Emmanuel D.S. Todo, alleged that, "the motives
and scope of operations of these stations were not clear to the government."

The Association of Amateur Radio Stations (AARS) insists, however, that the
affected stations were all registered with the government. The AARS has
appealed to the government to allow the stations to resume their operations
because of the important community service function they perform in serving
the news and information needs of their listeners.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: [email protected] [4] or [email protected] [5], Internet:
http://www.misa.org [2], or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation
for West Africa, P. O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel: 233 21 24 24 70, fax:
+233 21 22 10 84, e-mail: [email protected] [6], Internet:
http://www.mediafoundationwa.org [3]

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
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