RSF decries new interferences in the administration of the Brazilian Public Broadcaster (EBC)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores Acting President Michel Temer’s decision today to issue a decree arbitrarily firing Ricardo Melo as head of the Brazilian Communication Agency (EBC).
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Update/ 2 september 2016
On 2 September 2016, the Brazilian government imposed a decree establishing a series of changes in the administration of the Brazilian Public Broadcaster (EBC). The Provisional Measure, signed by the lower house speaker, Rodrigo Maia, who is currently the acting President of Brazil while Michel Temer is attending the G20 meeting in China, dismissed the EBC’s Conselho Curador (Curator Council), a internal body mostly made up of civil society representatives, with the attribution to ensure the autonomy of public communication. The decree also states that all members of the directors board can now be dismissed by the President of Brazil.
The EBC’s current chief executive officer, Ricardo Melo, was replaced by Laerte Rímoli. This was the second attempt to fire Melo since he started his mandate this year. On 17 May, Michel Temer dismissed him, but he was later reinstated on appeal by a Supreme Court’s decision that highlighted the importance of keeping EBC's independence.
“We condemn the changes imposed to the Brazilian Public Broadcaster by the government,
Instead of reinforcing the autonomy of public communication in the country, these new measures are weakening it further".
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