The Fahazavŕna radio station's reporter in extended police custody27/05/2010 | 18:33:42
Since one week, six journalists and two employees from the Fahazavŕna radio station are in criminal brigade custody. The Midi Madagascar newspaper recently reported that they started a hunger strike, the information swiftly denied by the police forces.
The journalists have been submitted to the public prosecutor's office on Thursday May 27th. The authorities are currently after the radio station's director, Didier Ravoahangiarison. The man has already been imprisoned with journalist Lolot Ratsimba in January.
Police related sources explained that the preventive police detention may be extended to a couple of weeks, namely because the concerned suspects are being charged with states security breach, among various other charges.
The Malagasy journalists' mobilization flamme is dying down. Since March 2009, the Great Isle has dramatically dropped in Reporters without Borders' press freedom chart.
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]
