AFRICA/DR CONGO - “Government must guarantee freedom of press”: appeal following closure of several broadcasters including Kinshasa’s Catholic TV

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - “Guarantee freedom of press on the eve of important electoral commitments”. This appeal was launched by the Congo National Press Association (Union Nationale de la Presse du Congo), in a statement sent to Fides.
The statement recalls that in recent months a number of broadcasters have been blocked by the authorities. Among them Canal Kin TV (CTKV) and Radio/TV Elikya (RTCE) whose signals have been blocked in Kinshasa since 16 January; JUA Radio TV in Lubumbashi, blocked since December” and other radio-television broadcasters closed by the authorities in Beni and in Butembo at the end of 2014.
The Congolese Press Association reports that with the new electoral law and the presentation of the election calendar (see Fides 21/2/2015), the situation in the country has calmed down, but the censorial measures taken by the government “do nothing to facilitate the profession of journalists”.
The statement continues underlining “the crucial role of the media in a democracy, especially during a time of elections. Gagging and silencing the media only amplifies tension in the country, seriously undermining the possibility of holding peaceful elections”.
Moreover the closure of broadcasters “has serious consequences for the professionals who work there and discourages investment in the sector, jeopardising the creation of new jobs”.
The statement ends with a call to government to guarantee freedom of press, and to the Superior Council for Audio visuals and Communications, which is responsible for the protection of the press, to report all violations of freedom of media. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/2015)