Later that same day, it was reported that a district police superintendent and a superintendent from the Rapid Intervention Unit personally came and placed seals on the TV station's entrances.
The suspension comes a few days after Equinoxe TV broadcast a debate about a proposed constitutional amendment that would end the limit on the number of terms a president can serve. The station, which has always opposed the amendment, had already received admonishments and threats from the authorities in Douala and Yaoundé, the capital.
"Since the broadcasting sector was opened up in 2005, no TV or radio station has complied with all the formalities imposed by the government, but the government says nothing if that is in its interest," the press freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders, said. "The financial grounds cited for suspending Equinoxe TV seem to be just a pretext for harassing a news media that has criticised the government's decision to amend the constitution. We call on the government to lift this suspension so that a democratic debate can continue."
Tchounkeu told Reporters Without Borders he was hoping for a rapid evolution in the government's attitude.
Article published courtesy of RSF
