Benin: Three journalists banned from presenting news

 

Three journalists at Benin’s state broadcaster, Office de Radiodiffusion et Television du Benin (ORTB), have been banned from presenting on the television station’s 8pm broadcast.

 

Ozias Sounouvou, Prévert Noutèhou and Renaud Acakpo told MFWA’s correspondent in Benin that there was an “order from above that their names should be removed from the list of news presenters for the 20 hours news broadcast”. The order was posted in the editorial room February 1, 2015.

 

The ban of the three journalists follows a statement made by another presenter, Ozias Sounouvou, during the 11:30pm edition on January 12.

 

While presenting the news, Sounouvou called out the President of Benin, Yayi Boni, for participating in a press freedom march in Paris following the Charlie Hebdo attacks while in his own country, people cannot exercise the right to freedom of expression.

Sierra Leone ALERT: President orders withdrawal of Afri Radio’s broadcast license

Afri Radio, a privately-owned radio station on April 12, 2013 had its broadcast license withdrawn by the statutory media regulatory body, the Independent Media Commission (IMC), following an alleged order from President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The decision to ban the radio station came after “various meetings held with state authorities … on the issuance of (Afri Radio’s) broadcast license” explained the IMC.

According to the Media Foundation for West (MFWA)’s correspondent, President Koroma, during a meeting with officials of the National Telecommunications Commission on April 9, 2013 reportedly ordered the Chairman of the IMC, Rod MacJohnson, to immediately suspend the broadcasting license of Afri Radio.