Togo / Fourth radio station closed by government agency

Togo / Fourth radio station closed by government agency

LOME, March 17, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ --

Reporters Without Borders is astonished to learn that Carré Jeune, a community radio station offering entertainment programmes, has been closed on the orders of the Telecommunications and Post Regulation Agency (ART&P). It is the fourth radio station to be closed by the agency in as many months.

?This is unjust and against the law,? Reporters Without Borders said. ?We fail to understand how what is granted by one agency is taken away by another. The ART&P is exceeding its powers. Only the High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC) can close down a radio station and it needs to get the go-ahead from a court first.?

After visiting Carré Jeune, the ART&P ordered its closure yesterday on the grounds of ?non-respect for professional standards.? But the HAAC had given station until June to comply with the required standards.

Three other radio stations have been closed by the ART&P since November (http://en.rsf.org/togo-three-radio-stations-closed-for-21-02-2011,39593.html).

Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)

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