Niger strike over press freedom
Journalists in Niger have begun a one-week strike to protest against restrictions on the media. Radio stations and media houses accuse President Mamadou Tandja of stifling press freedom and democracy after he made a decree which empowers the head of the regulatory High Communications Council to take decisions independently.
The Nigerien media regulator normally consults its 10 members who cast votes before any media house can be sanctioned. Journalists say the new powers allow media houses to be sanctioned without prior notice. Mahirou Amadou, director of privately-owned Dounia Radio said Nigerien journalists operate in a tense climate and the new decree will encourage a crackdown on journalists.
Source: Panos: London
