Beni's deputy administrator criticised the station for its coverage of the current insecurity in the region.
(JED/IFEX) – JED condemns the closure of Radio du Peuple Oïcha, a community radio station operating in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern DR Congo. JED demands that the authorities allow the radio station to re-open without conditions.
According to information obtained by JED, Radio du Peuple Oïcha was closed on 3 February 2011 until further notice on the orders of Maliamungu Sebuyange, deputy administrator of the territory. Sebuyange criticised the station for its coverage of the current insecurity in Beni after it aired a live phone-in broadcast on 2 February, where callers denounced the safety situation in the region. Beni has recently been stricken by an upsurge in robberies and murders.
“Listeners were only denouncing the current climate of insecurity in the Beni territory, with no intention of offending the territorial authority,” Jose Bashizi, programme director at Radio du Peuple Oïcha, told JED.
