Liberian President George Weah’s resolve for press freedom is coming under serious scrutiny after riot police shut a popular radio station critical of him.
The police reportedly broke into offices of Roots FM in the capital, Monrovia following a discussion on the alleged wasteful spending by the President.
Henry Costa, the station’s US-based owner who hosts the show that discussed the president said live on air police broke into their offices that “We have to hold together; don’t let them take our equipment away”.
But the government said it received a letter from the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) complaining that the station was operating without a licence.
Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean said two others operating without a licence were also facing similar action.
But the station’s owners say the facility was in compliance with all broadcast regulations, and had asked for a renewal of its licence.
This is not the first time the government through the police has taken action against journalists perceived to be critical of President Weah.
In 2018, newspaper workers critical of the government of President George Weah were arrested.
Officers at the time stormed the offices of the newspaper company, FrontPage Africa arresting and detaining editors, journalists and other managers.
Source: Africafeeds.com