MELBOURNE (Radio Australia / Pacific Media Watch): The closure of the Kiribati Independent has sparked an angry reaction from media freedom groups around the world.
Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists, Pacific Media Watch, the Pacific Media Centre and the Pacific Freedom Forum have all called for the island's government to rectify the situation.
Radio Australia's Pacific Beat spoke to Professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.
Reporter Helene Hoffman also spoke to the senior secretary from Kiribati's Ministry of Communication who said the ministry was not yet ready to comment on the situation.
Dr Robie told Hoffman he had been following the case for several months and said he also believed the closure of the newspaper was politically motivated.
Presenter: Helene Hofman
Speaker: Professor David Robie, director of the Pacific Media Centre in Auckland, New Zealand
Pacific Media Watch
