An American-owned Christian radio station in Rwanda has had its broadcasting licence revoked after allegedly referring to women as 'evil' on air.
The Amazing Grace Christian Radio has been taken off air in Rwanda, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) announced on Tuesday, according to CNN.
In a statement it said: 'The revocation follows failure by Amazing Grace Christian Radio to comply with RURA's sanctions taken after a sermon aired by the Radio on 29 January 2018 in which a radio presenter Nicolas Niyibikora repeatedly insulted women referring to them as evil.'
It added: 'This broadcast followed a pattern of radio shows insulting other religious beliefs.'
The conduct of the station was described as violating broadcasting regulations 'in regard to upholding public morality and Rwandan culture and values in general.' The revocation comes after the station didn't comply with sanctions given by RURA, which included a public apology, a month off the air and a fine of two million francs (£1,677).
According to the East African, Niyibikora had reportedly said on air, in a 30-minute sermon: 'Who can say anything good about women? There is nothing.
'Women we have now in our midst are prostitutes. Women brought sin into the world and when the world goes into extinction, it is because of women.'
American evangelist Gregg Schoof, who owns the station, has filed a lawsuit to get the station on air again. He had not obliged to apologise on behalf of Pastor Niyibikora since 'Pastor Nicholas must apologise for himself', he said in a statement.
'Pastor Nicholas was not found guilty yet. There has been no testimony, no hearing, and no court case for his message. So RURA wants me to apologize for someone who is still presumed to be innocent?' he wrote.
Schoof appealed to the constitutional 'right of opinion and conscience', concluding his statement with a reference to '6300 churches now closed in Rwanda'.
However, he distanced himself from Pastor Niyibikora's comments, telling the Rwandan Media Commission (RMC): 'I am against any kind of language that is against women. The Bible protects and promotes women's rights. But I have not got the entire translation of the sermon since it was in Kinyarwanda.'
Edmund Kagire, RMC's executive secretary, said: 'Under the media law which calls for utmost professionalism and ethical conduct of journalists and media houses, we found that the sermon was denigrating women in the vilest manner. Amazing Grace FM neglected its duty to ensure that its content meets expected standards of free speech.'
Schoof's first court case was scheduled to take place yesterday in Rwanda's capital Kigali.
