Nov. 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Malian authorities have announced the suspension of the broadcasts of a television network for a period of two months, just a few weeks after the publication of an editorial on acts against freedom of expression in the African country.
The decision has been notified by the High Authority of Communication (HAC) to the Joliba TV television network, which has indicated in a statement on its Facebook account that the sanction begins to count from Thursday, the date on which it was broadcast to medium.
“We take note of the HAC’s decision and have already filed an appeal. From now on, our programs will be suspended on our usual platforms. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused and we hope to see you again soon,” he added.
One of the directors of the chain has reported in statements to the French radio station Radio France Internationale that the decision “is not a surprise.” “They want to bring us down,” he has denounced, before adding that the HAC “is under orders” from the military junta that has governed the country since the August 2020 coup.
Joliba TV demanded in an editorial published at the end of September that the HAC break its silence in the face of the dangers that threaten freedom of expression in the country, after which the organization has denounced “the use of expressions with a strong pejorative connotation” against military authorities.
The leader of the junta, Assimi Goita, led the coup against the then Malian president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in August 2020, and subsequently led a second coup in May 2021 against the transitional authorities – at which time he overthrew the president and the prime minister, Bah Ndaw and Moctar Ouane–, rising to power.
