On October 6, the mayor of the northwestern Congolese city of Lisala, Desi Koyo, issued an indefinite suspension order against Radio Top Lisalam and banned journalist Anicet Moleka from exercising his profession. According to the local authorities, the radio station had defied the mayor’s August ban on the radio and journalist Moleka over alleged use of “insolent, immoral and defamatory” language on the current affairs program Tic Tac that undermined the dignity of Mongala Province authorities. The local authorities called on the police and the government’s intelligence agency to enforce the ban on Moleka. The journalist and the station management have rejected the accusations leveled against them by the mayor. According to the media regulatory law in DRC, only the media regulatory body, the Superior Council of Audiovisual and Communication, is mandated to take disciplinary sanctions against media outlets and journalists over press libel, not local authorities. On November 14, the radio station resumed its broadcasting activities.
IPI Africa Media Freedom TrackerCensorship and regulationIssuance of a fine or other type of administrative action