Crisis: International

Police closes down radio station
An independent radio station in Uganda was closed down on Mar. 13 for airing a show critical of the military and a ruling party candidate in the municipal elections last February.

Police in the northern town of Gulu showed the station Choice FM a letter from the Ugandan Broadcasting Council, a regulatory body in the capital, Kampala, ordering a suspension of broadcasts. The council said a program on Feb. 28 was “in violation of the minimum broadcasting standards,” citing a section of the Electronic Media Act that bars programs “likely to cause public insecurity or violence.”

The Council’s letter also accused Choice FM of operating without a license. However, news editor Sam Lawino said the station had a receipt from the Council for the renewal of its broadcasting license dated March 3, 2006.

After the February broadcast, police raided Choice FM and arrested Program Manager Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, holding him overnight without charge. He was released after paying bail.

Journalist jailed for online anti-gov’t articles
A Chinese journalist was sentenced to ten years in prison for posting virulent anti-government articles online.

Ren Zhiyuan was arrested on May 10, 2005, and then tried on Sept. 30 by the intermediate court in Jining, eastern China, for “subversion of state power.”

According to the US-based Human Rights in China, Ren was charged with posting several articles deemed subversive, including the pamphlet The Path to Democracy in which he asserted the right to resort to violence to overthrow tyranny. He was also sentenced for attempting to create a political opposition movement known as Mainland Democracy Frontline, recruiting members on the Internet.

Pakistan bans 2 Afghan TV channels
Broadcasting regulatory authorities in Pakistan barred local cable operators from airing two Afghan TV channels last Mar. 16.

Press reports quoting officials of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said Afghanistan-based stations Tolo TV and Arina TV were involved in broadcasting negative propaganda against Pakistan.

Privately-run Tolo TV issued a statement condemning the ban, saying the channel always attempted to present balanced stories on national, regional and international issues. The statement added that the Pakistani embassy in Kabul had rejected requests to discuss the ban.

Belarusia clamps down on media
Authorities arrested three Belarusian editors without explanation and barred  at least four Russian journalists from covering the presidential elections held on Mar. 19.

The day before the election, police detained Sergei Nerovny, editor of Volny Gorod, Andrei Shantarovich, editor of Mestnaya Gazeta, and Ivan Roman, reporter for the Internet version of the newspaper Solidarnost. The government did not disclose charges, and the status of the three journalists had remained unclear.

On the same day, three Russian journalists were detained at a polling station in the capital Minsk, and later expelled. Aleksandr Boldyrev, Gennady Pankov, and Vladimir Ivanov, correspondents for the Russian newspaper Pravoye Delo, were trying to cover the balloting, the independent news service Belapan said. Another Pravoye Delo journalist, Vadim Valiyev, was detained on Mar. 19 at a polling station in Gomel. He was released shortly after the Russian embassy intervened, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. The reasons for the detentions were not disclosed.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has moved aggressively against media to curb coverage of candidates challenging his bid for a third term in office.

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