Police detain Kenyan journalists, shut down newspaper, television station

Описание: (2 Mar 2006)
1. Wide shot Kenya Television Network (KTN) reception
2. Various of KTN newsroom
3. Zoom in to unplugged cables
4. Smashed window
5. Shattered glass on chair
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Tuei, KTN technician:
"A few minutes to one when we heard a bang on the door, and I saw two people holding guns, shouting, things that we could not even (inaudible), and told us to lay down all of us, and they started collecting all our mobile phones."
7. Sign with KTN and Standard Newspaper logos
++ NIGHTSHOTS ++
8. Wide exterior offices of Standard Newspaper
9. Flames seen through gates of Standard Newspaper building
10. Close up pile of burning newspapers
11. Wide shot emptied room with newspapers
12. Pile of undistributed newspapers
13. Close up Standard Newspaper, with headline reading "Standard Journalist locked up over story"
14. Police guarding outside Standard offices
STORYLINE
Authorities shut down Kenya's second largest media group early on Thursday, two days after three Kenyan journalists were detained without charge for a story alleging that the country's president secretly met with a key opponent, the company's editorial director said.
The closures, which targeted the country's oldest newspaper The Standard and the Kenya Television Network (KTN), mark the first time a Kenyan government has shut down the operations of a major media company.
The Standard Group's editorial director said police had raided the media group's offices and switched KTN off air.
He said production at the newspaper had stopped and piles of newspapers were being burnt inside the complex.
A call was placed seeking comment from government officials early on Thursday.
The closure came after the Kenya Union of Journalists announced that three journalists have been held without charge for a story on Saturday that alleged President Mwai Kibaki met secretly with a key opponent.
The secretary general of the journalists' union said police on Tuesday summoned Saturday Standard Managing Editor Chacha Mwita, News Editor Dennis Onyango and journalist Ayub Savula and questioned them about the story.
The detentions came days after Kibaki and former environment minister-turned Kibaki foe, Kalonzo Musyoka, denied the meeting took place.
The journalists remain in police custody, and authorities have yet to comment about the detentions.

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