The Rwandan government suspended all BBC radio broadcasts in protest of the organisation’s recent documentary about the 1994 genocide.
The Rwandan Utilities Regulatory Authority, citing public complaints of “incitement, hatred, divisionism, genocide denial and revision,” announced the suspension of all local language broadcasts of the BBC on Friday, reports The Guardian.
A BBC spokesperson responded on Friday, stating, “the Rwandan genocide raises extremely painful issues but the BBC has a duty to investigate difficult and challenging subjects. We believe this programme, which was produced by a BBC current affairs team in London and broadcast in the UK, made a valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the country and the region.”
The spokesperson added the BBC regretted calls for sanctions against it and criticised the “threat of direct measures against an independent broadcaster.”
Rwandan parliament calls for genocide denial charges against BBC documentary producers (24 October 2014)
Rwandan president accuses BBC of 'genocide denial' (15 October 2014)
BBC accused of giving voice to genocide deniers by Rwandan survivors groups (11 October 2014)
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