In a joint statement received by French news agency AFP on Thursday, the Hadafo, Djoma and Groupe Fréquence groups called the move "all the more regrettable as the media signed the statutes creating the Press Self-Regulation Observatory on Wednesday." "This is nothing more than a continuation of the harassment to which we have been subjected since November 2023," they lamented. The three media groups also condemned acts of vandalism that they said were committed against the premises of some of the radio stations ahead of their suspension. On Wednesday, the authorities withdrew the operating licenses of radio stations FIM FM, Radio Espace FM, Sweet FM, Djoma FM and television channels Djoma TV and Espace TV, citing "non-compliance with the content of the specifications." The authorities did not detail how the media outlets had failed to meet their obligations. It is the latest in a series of crackdowns on the media by the ruling junta, which seized power in a coup in 2021 and is led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya. The suspension of the six media outlets was announced as press organisations were setting up a body for "self-regulation" to ensure respect for professional ethics. The government has agreed to open talks with the press to resolve the crisis, but had demanded the creation of such a body. The move has sparked outrage among opposition figures and rights activists. The non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders has highlighted that since the end of 2023, several radio and television stations have been suspended or rendered inaccessible and the most popular and visited online news sites have been blocked. The authorities have also imposed rolling restrictions on internet access and detained a trade union leader representing the press for more than a month, triggering a general strike. Read Also: Military in power in Conakry ban four radios and a television (in Portuguese)