(Source: VOA News)
WASHINGTON —Burundi will continue to block broadcasts from two international media organizations and expand restrictions on their operations, the government announced Friday.
At a meeting in Bujumbura, the president of the National Council of Communication, Nestor Bankumukunzi, said the British Broadcasting Corp. and the Voice of America are no longer allowed to broadcast, effective immediately. The ban is indefinite and extends to journalists, both foreign and domestic, who provide information to either broadcaster.
“We are alarmed that reporters in Burundi are now forbidden to communicate with VOA and believe these continuing threats to our journalists undermine press freedom in the country,” VOA Director Amanda Bennett said. “We stand with the people of Burundi against those who are restricting their access to accurate and reliable news and information.”
The BBC condemned the decision, calling it “a serious blow against media freedom.”
Last May, the Burundi government suspended both news organizations for six months, a week before holding a referendum on a new constitution. The outlets have been off the air since.[…]
Well maybe this could be a call to action for international shortwave, as broadcasts could be easily targeted into Burundi if BBC and VOA haven’t torn down and sold their transmitting facilities already.
The internet is not going to remain unblocked for much longer and as platforms such as google, youtube, and fakebook become sanitized mouthpieces for gov’t info and disinfo, shortwave is going to be one way to get into a nation without being traced.
But do people in Brunei have shortwave receivers? Brunei had just over 400,000 people. How many would listen on shortwave? And what would the cost be?
Burundi shows a population of over 10 million, I’m sure a few of them have shortwave radios.