Police close down popular radio station

Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), a privately owned broadcaster, was off the air for a fourth day on Monday after the police stormed its offices late week. "Biased reporting" was the reason the media regulatory body, the National Communication Council, gave for ordering the closure of the station on Friday. The station had ignored council's order on 15 July to suspend programming for an unlimited period. It only suspended programming for 48 hours, beginning on 18 July. The station is one of the most popular in the country. The council said that during the build up to legislative elections, held on 4 July, RPA had covered live the rallies of the former rebel group that eventually won the elections but did not give live coverage to most of the other political parties. RPA director Alexis Sinduhije responded by saying that the other parties did not hold major rallies. "I couldn't follow each political party because they were doing house-to-house campaigns," he said. The council also accused Sinduhije of insulting its members when he said, "They are ignorant of journalistic practices." The station had also been ordered off the air in February as well as in 2003.