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    November 16, 2011

Liberian Court Orders Reopening Of Closed Media Outlets

   Press Union of Liberia President Peter Quaqua says closing the stations
   is an attempt to frighten the media from reporting critical issues

   James Butty
   Press Union of Liberia president Peter Quaqua (left) with journalist
   Aaron Kollie
   Photo: Frontpage Africa
   Press Union of Liberia president Peter Quaqua (left) with journalist
   Aaron Kollie

   A Liberian judge Tuesday ordered the re-opening of four radio and three
   television stations sympathetic to the opposition which the government
   shut down one day before runoff elections.

   The government accused the stations of broadcasting hate messages and
   spreading misinformation aimed at causing insurrection and disorder.

   Press Union of Liberia President Peter Quaqua, who was in the
   courtroom, says the judge, James W. Zota, did not make evidence
   available to the lawyers representing the media institutions.

   Quaua says he views the action against the stations, and the subsequent
   court proceedings, as an attempt to frighten the media away from
   reporting critical issues in Liberia.

   'The judge ruled that the petitions filed by the Ministry of Justice
   and the Information Ministry were corroborated by the evidence the
   Ministry of Justice provided to the judge. Dramatically, that evidence
   was never produced in court,' he said.

   Quaqua says Judge Zota reviewed the evidence and said he was convinced
   the stations were guilty of broadcasting hate messages, misinformation
   and inciting violence.

   In his ruling, Zota threatened to revoke the permits and broadcasting
   licenses of the stations if they repeated what he called the spreading
   of hate messages with the propensity to cause insurrection.

   'We would have thought that the case would be used to teach some
   lessons, hopefully, to the media about some of the wrong things that
   their colleagues were doing. But, that did not happen, and what we
   picked from the whole process is nothing, but what I would like to
   refer to as an attempt to really scare the media away from reporting
   critical issues in our country,' Quaqua said.

   The Press Union of Liberia president said he also views the whole
   episode as an effort to force the media into self-censorship.

   'I think it's further intended to intimidate the media and subject the
   media into self-censorship, which for me speaks negatively to the idea
   of press freedom and [the] professed desire of the government of a free
   press,' he said.

   He said Liberians should be able to have confidence in their judicial
   system.

   'If you have to go to court and be subjected to these kinds of
   irregular hearings, I think it doesn't speak well, and we don't put the
   court into the position where people are running away from the court.
   People will not respect the court,' he said.

   Quaqua says a number of international organizations, including
   Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists,
   and the Committee to Protect Journalists protested the closure of the
   stations.

   'The West African Journalists Association, for instance, is also
   drafting a statement to criticize the closure of these media
   institutions. We are also pleased to note the solidarity of the media
   community in Liberia around this issue, which also sends a very strong
   signal to the government and the people of Liberia about the need not
   to trample on the media,' Quaqua said.

   He said media organizations are not above the law, but the government
   cannot use the courts to reach an end.

   'The situation of November 7^th was unfortunate; we do not support
   that. But, we'd like to make it clear that the media cannot be used as
   a scapegoat in this matter,' Quaqua said.

   Quaua called on Liberian journalists to continue to stay on the side of
   reporting public interest issues and not necessarily partisan issues.

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