Government closes journalists association office

Reporters sans frontieres (RSF) on Thursday criticised the closure of the offices of the Equatorial Guinea press association, ASOPGE, by the mayor of Malabo, calling it "a violation of freedom of expression". RSF said that, according to information it had received, municipal policemen acting on the orders of the mayor, Gabriel Mba Beya, closed the ASOPGE building on Wednesday. RSF sent a letter to Information Minister Lucas Nguema Esono on Thursday, urging him to give the real reasons for the move, which Beya had refused to do when asked by ASOPGE chairman Pedro Nolasco Ndong. RSF also called on Esono to "take action with the competent authorities to have the measure annulled". ASOPGE was formed in 1997 with a view to linking private and public sector journalists. Two private weeklies, La Opinion and El Tiempo, were published at the association. According to RSF, access to information is controlled by Equatorial Guinea's authorities. All electronic media are censured, the private press is almost non-existent, and the ruling party controls the country's main publications, radio and television. any people have been arrested merely for being in possession of 'La Verdad', an pposition magazine or documents of non-governmental organisations, RSF said.