Liberian radio host Henry Costa said Monday he was prevented by the government from participating in a radio show in his country.

Mr. Costa has been hosting a popular programme in Liberia for years.

Since the authorities shut down his radio station in October 2019, he has been broadcasting from the United States, where he resides.

He's one of President George Weah's most vocal critics and the main instigator of the protests against President Weah just a year ago, which the opposition accuses of being unable to turn the poor West African country around.

The government warned in a statement the owners of D-15 that they would lose their license if they hosted Henry Costa on the air, recalling that he was considered a "fugitive" by the Liberian justice system.

The Press Union of Liberia, the umbrella organization for journalists in the country says the decision amounts to a censorship of the press and a violation of freedom of speech.

Musa MB Kenneh is the Secretary-General of the Press Union of Liberia.