Lakes state government shutdown Catholic Radio Good News in Rumbek
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June 29, 2013 (RUMBEK) - The ministry of information and communication
in South Sudan’s Lakes state shut down Radio Good News, a Catholic
broadcaster in Rumbek, on Friday morning.
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Lakes state’s military caretaker governor Matur Chut Dhuol, ordered
his information minister, Dut Makoi Kuok, to close down the station
which had broadcasted comments from the public critical of the
government.
Since he was installed in January, Dhuol has introduced controversial
security measures including holding suspects without trial or access
to lawyers in military prisons. Inmates who have escaped, bride their
way out or been released have accused the army of torture and other
ill-treatment.
Earlier this month Human Rights Watch said that "South Sudanese
soldiers have unlawfully detained and ill-treated more than 130
civilians since February 2013 in response to armed violence and
inter-communal fighting in Lakes state."
Peter Mapuor Makur Malith, the program manager of Radio Good News
FM-89 said that government had summoned them last week to present
their license to the information minister.
Maupor said that station had fulfilled all its legal obligations by
having license and was broadcasting on frequencies approved by the
national minister of information and broadcasting.
He said that the move to close the station was an act of censorship by
the Lakes state government, which he said was threatening local
journalists.
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Radio Good News registration 2012
Despite providing their broadcasting license and details of their
programming, minister Kuok still decided to shutdown the radio
station.
Mapuor said that “Lakes State ministry of information and
communication has shut down Good News Radio from broadcasting saying
it will only open after providing a license and a certificate of
broadcasting from the national ministry of information and
broadcasting in Juba”.
"The minister perused the documents and asked us a few questions and
promised to report his findings to the Council of Ministers during
which the Council would discuss and decide the destiny of the radio"
station, Mapuor said.
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Radio Good News frequency certificate - 10 July 2006
Mapuor explained that “In 2010, the then national ministry of legal
affairs and constitutional development issued the Catholic Radio
Network a certificate of registration. That certificate of
registration is what the eight sister networks of CRN [Catholic Radio
Network, which was used] all over the country without friction. Radio
Good News has also been using it for operation in the last three years
to the present.”
Following the order, Radio Good News has taken itself off the air.
Rumbek Diocese Administrator Fernando Colombo, told CRN over the phone
that minister Makoi made a generic accusation that the station was
politicised.
Colombo said the Government complained about the news coverage on the
death of a civilian inmate at a military prison and an interview on
human rights issues with a state minister.
He added that “Radio Good News started broadcasting on 28th February
2010 and has never been on record for running programs that defame,
falsify or contradict media ethics. The radio has seven trained
reporters and another four undergoing in-house training.”
The radio runs mainly civic education and evangelical programs.
Good News Radio broadcasts mainly in English and Dinka and reaches an
area of 150km radius from a 60m mast in Rumbek. It reaches the eight
counties of Lakes and parts of some neighbouring states.
(ST)
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