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ZIMBABWE: Dutch urged to act on jamming of Radio Netherlands
IRIN News
January 26, 2006

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51366

JOHANNESBURG - The Dutch government has been urged to take action on the alleged jamming by the Zimbabwe authorities of Radio Netherlands broadcasts to the country.

Thijs Berman, a Dutch member of the European parliament, told IRIN that the Zimbabwean government was using jamming equipment to block Voice of the People (VOP) programmes produced in Zimbabwe and broadcast into the country by Radio Netherlands via its relay station in Madagascar.

"This is a clear violation of freedom of the press and we have urged the Dutch government to file an official complaint via the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). They have not yet responded and we are disappointed by the lack of action," Berman remarked.

Jan Willem Drexhage, head of programme distribution at Radio Netherlands, said the organisation's options were "very limited - we find ourselves in a difficult position and have asked the Madagascar administration to file a complaint and take up the issue with the Zimbabwe government".

The Zimbabwean government switched on its Chinese-supplied shortwave jamming equipment to block VOP reception of programming in July 2005, Andy Sennitt, of Radio Netherlands told IRIN.

In March last year the BBC monitoring service reported that SW Radio Africa, an independent anti-government station broadcasting from Britain, had also been jammed by Zimbabwean authorities.

Zimbabwe's National Security Minister, Dydimus Mutasa, denied the allegations, saying Zimbabwe did not block broadcasting, and "it must be their imagination. If it does happen, it is because the broadcasting is hostile."

VOP has been unable to resume operations since police confiscated its equipment and files, and arrested director John Masuku in a December 2005 raid. This week the six-member board of VOP were detained and charged with broadcasting without a license.

In December 2005 the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ben Bot, responded to questions in parliament on the willingness of the Dutch government to take action against Zimbabwe's alleged harassment of VOP by saying, "If the situation warrants any action, the Netherlands will ensure that the necessary steps are taken through the European Union."

Berman noted that the ITU could not impose sanctions on Zimbabwe, and that a complaint filed by the Dutch "would only be symbolic", and "a way to show the Zimbabwe government that people from outside are watching".

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