The Fahazavŕna radio shut by the authorities21/05/2010 | 14:41:40
As an ending chapter to one to the capital city's chaos day, the last servicing radio channel supportive of Marc Ravalomanana was silenced by the High Authority of Transition, in the evening of May 20th.
Six employees of the Fahazavàna radio station, belonging to the FJKM protestant church, have been investigated by the HAT soldiers. Part of them were three journalists who worked in the evening, namely Lolot Ratsimba again, previously jailed by beginning of the year.
The authorities are indicting the channel with "false news report spreading","incitation to rebel" and "irregularity". Far too light motives, according to the government member, to silence a radio channel and cease its hardware.
One week after the Frequence Plus' radio station related incident, another radio station is being assaulted by the soldiers
Reporters have been especially invited together with artists and Malagasy sport figures to greet the president of the High Authority of Transition. Rufin Rakotomaharo, the latest president of the Journalists´ Order, produced a speech on behalf of his colleagues, in which he called upon more press freedom, the authorization to reopen TV and radio stations closed by the ruling power and the ending of the so called press crimes[See]
The TV PLUS private media station received an official warning letter. A reporter is being wanted by the state police, and not any of the stations silenced in the aftermaths of the year 2009´s putsch have been allowed to broadcast again. Hard days for the press.[See]
A number of reporters are currently in the communication ministry´s sight in the run of its intention to restore “order” in the press. The ministry´s ethics commission is so far being acting since some weeks. Minister Harry Rahajason met some of the capital city´s reporters and declared that sanctions are likely to sanction any violation of ethics and laws.[See]
Poor first step in for the Communication Ministry´s Ethics Committee. The election of the committee´s president supposed to endorse the Journalists´ order´s leadership, had to be postponed, for some members defected[See]
The minister in charge of communication is considering the erection of an ethics committee deemed to temporarily overtake the journalists’ order’s prerogatives up to the election of a new board[See]
