Armed men cut television and radio signals of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Men in plain clothes but armed" ordered staff at the broadcasting centre to cut the signal for Canal Kin Television (CKTV), Canal Congo Television (CCTV) and Radio Liberty Kinshasa (RALIK),  the manager of CCTV and RALIK, Stephane Kitutu, said.

The television channels and radio station are owned by the former vice-president and leader of the opposition Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), Jean-Pierre Bemba.

"From time to time we receive requests from the media authority and the communications ministry, but they have never given us such an ultimatum," Kitutu said.

Communications minister Lambert Mende told Bemba's party that the government was not involved in the action.

"We are being criticised for already starting to campaign" for the presidential election in 2011, Kitutu said.

Rights groups in DR Congo strongly condemned the "unjustified" and "targeted attack" against freedom of information, and called on President Joseph Kabila to reestablish transmission of all the affected media.

Bemba was one of four vice-presidents in a transitional government in the DR Congo between 2003 and 2006. In the last election in 2006 he was defeated by Kabila.

He is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

source: AFP