27 October 1998

Alert

Government revokes Star Radio frequencies


Incident details

legal action


(CPJ/IFEX) - In a press release dated 23 October 1998, the Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunications announced it had withdrawn, effective immediately,
the short-wave frequencies assigned to Star Radio. The station subsequently
ceased broadcasting on its 3.400MHZ and 5.888MHZ channels.




The government's withdrawal of Star Radio's short-wave frequencies follows
an official request for the broadcaster to submit its 1998 program logs to
the Ministry of Information by 16 October. The request was made by Assistant
Minister of Information, Culture & Tourism Jeff Mutada in a letter dated 14
October.


The letter also ordered "the immediate cessation of the continuation of all
broadcast and newspaper postings on the Internet until such news media
involved in the dissemination of news on the Internet are fully registered
with the Ministry of Information..."


As of 15 October 1998, Internet postings of texts of Star Radio's news
broadcasts have ceased, as ordered by the Ministry of Information. Current
texts of Star Radio's broadcasts were formerly available through its web
site http://www.hirondelle.org>and the Africa News Service
http://www.africanews.org>.


While Star Radio continues to broadcast on its FM 104MHZ frequency, its
range has been significantly reduced.


Appeals To



H.E. Charles Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
c/o public fax at Telecom +231 225217

In the United States:

H.E. Charles Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
c/o Embassy of Liberia
5303 Colorodo Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20011
Fax: 202-723-0436
e-mail: liberia-embassy@msn.com







Please copy appeals to source if possible.





Source

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (@) cpj.org
Fax:+1 212 4659568

Star Radio journalists censored, subject to deportation; Ministry of Labour demands journalists, Star Radio pay fines before granting work permits 30 October 1998 Government revokes Star Radio frequencies 27 October 1998

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