Sharma ban flayed by UN expert

A United Nations (UN) rapporteur in marking World Press Freedom day today has cited the four-month ban on CNS Channel Six as an example of a disproportionate sanction.

The comment by UN Special Rapporteur Ambeyi Ligabo on the case is likely to ratchet up the pressure on the Bharrat Jagdeo administration to cut the penalty on the station owned by CN Sharma. The penalty has been decried as excessive by sections of society here.

In his statement Ligabo said that the more subtle censorship tactics “severely restrict the independence of the press while seemingly allowing states to maintain a façade of respect to democratic principles such as freedom of expression.”

The UN independent expert asserted that: “In this regard, governments have exerted severe economic pressure, including through selective use of state advertisement, aiming to strangle independent media outlets. They have also exploited subjective regulations such as licensing to suspend or shut down the broadcast or printed media.” The withdrawal of advertisements from Stabroek News by the Guyana Government had also been drawn to the attention of Ligabo’s office.