Why the regulator pulled the plug on Vision 4

The CNC’s one-month ban prevents Vision 4 from airing any audiovisual content. According to the regulator, station officials challenged its authority and failed to respond to a summons. This is not the first time the channel has faced sanctions: in June, Vision 4 was penalised along with journalist Martial Thaddée Owona and director Philippe Boni Menyene over a report that the CNC said contained remarks undermining the dignity of a lawyer representing civil parties. The regulator claims that earlier sanction was barely enforced and accuses the channel of subsequently broadcasting fresh content targeting the same lawyer.

L’Anecdote newspaper also hit with suspension

In a parallel move, the CNC suspended Jean-Claude Fouda Abega, publication director of the daily L’Anecdote, for one month. The newspaper, which also belongs to Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga’s media group, had published an article that the regulator described as containing unfounded, insulting and offensive remarks about the same lawyer.

What the sanctions mean for the trial

The penalties land as the Martinez Zogo case continues before the military tribunal in Yaoundé. The radio host was abducted on 17 January 2023 near a gendarmerie post in the capital. His naked, mutilated body was found five days later. Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga faces charges of complicity in kidnapping, torture and murder. He stands trial alongside Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former head of the Directorate General for External Research (DGRE), and Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Danwe, accused of leading the commando unit involved in the journalist’s abduction.