(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the minister of the interior, postal services and telecommunications, Dah Ould Abdeljellil, RSF protested the interruption of Radio France International (RFI) programmes on FM, in Nouakchott. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard asked the minister to “cast aside this unjustifiable decision.” One month ago, the Qatari television station Al Jazira was […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to the minister of the interior, postal services and telecommunications, Dah Ould Abdeljellil, RSF protested the interruption of Radio France International (RFI) programmes on FM, in Nouakchott. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard asked the minister to “cast aside this unjustifiable decision.” One month ago, the Qatari television station Al Jazira was the target of a similar measure. Moreover, RSF recalled that eight newspapers have been seized since the beginning of the year in Mauritania.
According to information received by RSF, on 21 November 2000, the FM broadcast of RFI programmes was interrupted. The Mauritanian authorities justified this action by suggesting that in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the radio station had incited the population to revolt. On 19 November, the RFI programme “Le débat africain” (The African Debate) featured a representative of the governing party in Mauritania and two representatives of the opposition who are exiled in France. The two opposition figures notably denounced the close ties between the regime in Nouakchott and Israel. In recent weeks, demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people were stifled by Mauritanian police. One of the protestors’ main demands is that Mauritania break off diplomatic relations with Israel. The authorities banned the Qatari television station Al Jazira’s broadcasts one month ago. The station also featured Arab and Mauritanian figures who are opposed to the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel.
