Mugabe blocks US radio service
July 06, 2006 Edition 1
President Robert Mugabe's government has partially jammed Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts into Zimbabwe.
The jamming follows the successful clampdown on private radio station SW Africa, which broadcasts into Zimbabwe from London, and the forced closure of Voice of the People (VOP), which broadcast from the Netherlands via Madagascar, but used to maintain offices in Zimbabwe. VOP directors and journalists were arrested and jailed last year and their case for broadcasting without a government licence is currently in court.
To circumvent draconian laws that prohibit independent broadcasting in Zimbabwe, the VOA started a programme called Studio 7 in 2003. The two-hour news programme is run by Zimbabwean journalists living in exile in Washington and broadcasts are transmitted via the VOA's transmitter in Botswana.
Owing to the high quality of its broadcasts, Studio 7 built up a huge following in Zimbabwe. Studio 7 journalists operate undercover in Zimbabwe and feed their reports for editing into the VOA studios in Washington before transmission via Botswana.
While the Mugabe government succeeded with its clampdown on SW Africa and VOP, it failed in jamming Studio 7 signals because of the superiority of the American broadcaster's technology. But the jamming appears to have finally succeeded this week with the blocking of the VOA's medium wave frequencies.
VOA director David Jackson said: "There has been some jamming of our broadcasts of Studio 7 into Zimbabwe. The interference appears to be limited to medium wave broadcasts to Harare. We take any interference seriously and we will continue to monitor the situation."
After the initial successful jamming of its broadcasts, SW Radio Africa switched to other frequencies. But this seems to have failed as the new frequencies are also being blocked.
"We strongly protest against this further attack to deny Zimbabweans the right to freedom of speech and freedom of information.
"We urge the international community to take this most seriously," said SW Radio Africa station manager Jerry Jackson yesterday.
Jackson said Zimbabwe had been hosting a group of Chinese experts who have been working on jamming radio stations, which the government dismisses as "pirate stations" sponsored by the US and British governments to mobilise for regime change in Zimbabwe.
The experts have also been helping Zimbabwe to disrupt e-mail traffic.
An Interception of Communications Bill, which grants the government the power to interfere with and intercept electronic communications of private Zimbabweans is being debated in parliament.
Its passage is regarded as a foregone conclusion.
The Chinese embassy in Harare declined to comment on the jamming issue.
