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According to the media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were also published on social media.
The government of Mauritius on Friday (Nov. 1) banned access to social media websites ahead of parliamentary elections on Nov. 10.
The national communications regulator announced the directive, which said social media sites will be banned until Nov. 11, the day after the election. The unprecedented social media ban follows a wiretapping scandal that rocked the country last month when recorded conversations of politicians, business people, and members of civil society were leaked on social media.
According to the media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were also published on social media.
The government of the Indian Ocean Island country, which has a population of 1.2 million, has claimed that these leaks are a threat to national security and instructed the communications authority to suspend all access to social media.
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The ICT Authority received directives on the evening of 31 October 2024, to direct all Internet Service Providers to temporarily suspend access to all social media platforms until 11 November 2024. Network service provider EMTEL said on Friday it would comply with the directive and user experience will be progressively disrupted. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is seeking a second term in power.
