Harare calling - broadcasters accuse govt of radio jamming

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Zimbabwean government to stop the alleged jamming of news broadcasts by radio stations based in the United States and Britain.

In a statement this week, the CPJ accused the government of jamming medium-wave signals by the Voice of America's (VOA) Studio 7, a 90-minute news programme broadcasting into Zimbabwe in English and local languages, and the London-based SW Radio Africa.

The statement quoted VOA spokesman Joe O'Connell as saying the alleged jamming was systematic and focused around Harare, the capital. "We have had reports of jamming of our Zimbabwe broadcasts in the past, but we've never been able to confirm them," he said. This time, "we've determined, and believe, that it's intentional".

Home affairs minister Kembo Mohadi denied the jamming allegation. "This has been their chorus for a long time, but the truth is that we are not engaged in such diabolical acts. This country is still under sanctions, so we cannot afford to carry out such activities," he told IRIN on Wednesday. The government claims it faces western "sanctions" as punishment for its violent land redistribution programme, launched in 2000.

The statement by the CPJ, a US-based watchdog, came as SW Radio Africa reported the authorities had stepped up interception of its broadcasts around Harare. The station was set up by Zimbabwean exiles in Britain.

"Our morning short-wave broadcasts have been jammed since Monday, 26th June. The jamming appears to be quite localised and focused on Harare," said station director Gerry Jackson. "We can still be heard in other parts of the country."

Jamming a radio broadcast is achieved by transmitting a strong signal on the same frequency. China is reported to have supplied Zimbabwe with the necessary equipment.

"It is outrageous that Zimbabwean authorities, not content with snuffing out the local media, are cutting off the few outside sources of information still available," commented CPJ director Anne Cooper. Along with refusing to license any local independent broadcasters, the Zimbabwean government has shut five newspapers since 2003.

In December 2005, police raided the Harare offices of Voice of the People (VOP), a private news production company whose programmes are transmitted via shortwave from Holland. A trial of VOP staff and officials on charges of operating illegal broadcasting equipment is ongoing.

"The jamming of news broadcasts in Zimbabwe should cease immediately, as should the prosecution of VOP trustees and staff," said Cooper.