SECTOR 1 to criticise and publish press releases on the situation in the country without apparent threats. This supposed absence of fear, however, needs to be viewed in light of the subjects dealt with and their context. Due to the crisis, which currently plagues the country and which has given rise to a fear of reprisals, cases of self-censorship do indeed occur. A case in point are the journalists of Free FM, a radio station known for its strong criticism towards the regime, who were apprehended by the police and held in custody for a while. Page 70, 5th para: The same applies to the journalists of the daily newspaper Courrier de Madagascar, who were put under great pressure for having published in September 2011 the bona fide arrest warrant issued at the time against the former President Marc Ravalomanana. Concerns range from a simple fear of reprisals to open threats. “A journalist had to change his phone number due to death threats he received” Another journalist, for example, who wanted to launch an investigative report on events involving dahalo (zebu thieves) in the south of the country, where a conflict killed a dozen of people, was threatened by an army officer and had to stop working. “A journalist had to change his phone number due to death threats he received” a panellist adds. Concerns were also raised about the closure of about 50 radio stations1 in September 2010 for alleged non-compliance with the law. These stations included the former President’s Marc Ravalomanana Radio MBS and one of a religious congregation, FJKM – RadioFahazavana, which was also close to the former president. With regards to public liberties, public demonstrations have been banned since 2009 and are reprimanded by the police to such a degree that citizens are afraid of publicly displaying their opinions in the streets, especially on matters pertaining to the political crisis. By contrast, the situation beyond the capital reveals to be markedly different. At Radio MagnevaMenabe, for example (situated in Morondova, 700km from Antananarivo in the province of Tuléar), fears express themselves differently. Radio hosts systematically deny listeners of this rural community radio station to speak on air, to prevent them from positively valuing the work of the regional Chief (the owner of this radio station being a political opponent of said regional Chief). 1 70 Judicial enquiry into the closure of media outlets in Madagascar since 2002 (report by Olivia Rajerison, Rindra Rabarinirinarison, Ketakandriana Rafitoson) 8 June 2012 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR