by Nurat Uthman
Guinea’s main press union on Monday threatened an unlimited general strike after the ruling junta banned several major media outlets, the latest in a string of restrictions on press freedom.
The authorities last week withdrew the operating licences of radio stations FIM FM, Radio Espace FM, Sweet FM and Djoma FM, as well as Djoma TV and Espace TV, over a “failure to comply with the content of the specifications.”
They justified the ban by saying they were guilty of “frequent misconduct” and violating “human dignity” without giving further details.
Sekou Jamal Pendessa, the secretary general of the Union of Press Professionals of Guinea (SPPG), said the organization would refer the matter to the Guinean Trade Union Movement on Monday with a view to a general strike
“Since they (the authorities) want silence in the country, which is why they are closing the media… there will be silence all the way to the presidency,” Pendessa told a press conference, threatening an unlimited general strike.
He called on the government to withdraw the ban and said he would meet other trade unions on Saturday to coordinate the response.
The move is the latest crackdown on the media imposed by the junta, which seized power in the West African nation in 2021.
Media restrictions and the arrest of press activist Pendessa at the end of January triggered a three-day general strike a month later which paralysed the country.
