(JED/IFEX) – Achille Ekele N’Golyma and Damien Baita, publication director and editor-in-chief, respectively, of the Kinshasa-based satirical newspaper “Pot-Pourri”, were arrested on 31 July 2002, at approximately 11:30 a.m. (local time). The journalists were arrested by persons in civilian clothes who were identified by eyewitnesses as police inspectors from the Criminal Investigation Department. The journalists […]
(JED/IFEX) – Achille Ekele N’Golyma and Damien Baita, publication director and editor-in-chief, respectively, of the Kinshasa-based satirical newspaper “Pot-Pourri”, were arrested on 31 July 2002, at approximately 11:30 a.m. (local time). The journalists were arrested by persons in civilian clothes who were identified by eyewitnesses as police inspectors from the Criminal Investigation Department. The journalists were not shown a warrant at the time of their arrest.
N’Golyma and Baita were in a cafe located next to the Belgian embassy in Kinshasa when four men burst in and ordered the journalists to follow them. N’Golyma then tried to escape. He climbed over the Belgian embassy’s wall and was followed by his pursuers. After a brief altercation, the Belgian embassy security personnel handed the journalist over to the men. He was immediately handcuffed, and he and his colleague Baita were taken to the Kinshasa/Gombe High Court Prosecutor’s Office cells. Baita was released after an identity check. The inspectors mistook him for another journalist, Gogin Kifwakiou, from the newspaper “Vision”, who is also being sought further to the complaint filed by Joseph Olenghankoy, president of the Forces Novatrices pour l’Union et la Solidarité (FONUS, a political party that claims to be an opposition party).
In a 25 July letter to the Kinshasa/Gombe High Court’s state prosecutor, a copy of which was delivered to JED’s office on the afternoon of 31 July, Olenghankoy accused N’Golyma and Kifwakiou of having made “prejudicial accusations” against him. In their 23 July editions, in two articles entitled “Olenghankoy and Katebe’s US$200,000″ and ” Joseph Kabila’s 20 million CFs (Congolese francs) split Joseph Olenghankoy’s OPC”, respectively, the newspapers “Pot-Pourri” and “Vision” each accused the FONUS president of corruption and misappropriation of public funds. Kifwakiou went into hiding after N’Golyma’s arrest.
N’Golyma was heard by a Mr. Mbaki, the deputy public prosecutor, who wanted to know the source of the information published by “Pot-Pourri”. On 31 July, in the early evening, a JED representative met with N’Golyma in his cell. He sustained injuries to his left hand and his chest during his altercation with the Congolese National Police officers on duty at the Belgian embassy.
In a 27 July letter to President Joseph Kabila, JED asked that he put a stop to the recent wave of arrests of journalists by the various security services and courts. Since early July, eight journalists have been arrested or detained for exercising their profession. N’Golyma is the third journalist to be imprisoned to date. He joins Delly Bonsange and Raymond Kabala of the newspaper “Alerte Plus”, who remain imprisoned at Kinshasa’s Penitentiary and Reeducation Centre (CPRK, Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, former Makala Central Prison) (see IFEX alerts of 31, 23 and 22 July 2002).
For further information, contact D. M’Baya Tshimanga, president, Journaliste en danger (JED), B.P. 633 Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo, tel. +243 99 29 323, +243 99 29 345, fax: +243 12 21974, e-mail: direction@jed-congo.org, alertes@jed-congo.org, Internet: http://www.jed-congo.org
