(JED/IFEX) – On 22 September 2003, Augustin Kikukama, secretary-general of the 17 May Liberation Movement (Mouvement de Libération du 17 mai, M-17), a political party that is closely linked to the government in Kinshasa, issued death threats via telephone against André Ipakala Abeiye Mobiko, editor of the Kinshasa-based daily “La Référence Plus”. The M-17 party’s […]
(JED/IFEX) – On 22 September 2003, Augustin Kikukama, secretary-general of the 17 May Liberation Movement (Mouvement de Libération du 17 mai, M-17), a political party that is closely linked to the government in Kinshasa, issued death threats via telephone against André Ipakala Abeiye Mobiko, editor of the Kinshasa-based daily “La Référence Plus”. The M-17 party’s members are mostly associates of deceased former president Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
According to a report published in the 23 September edition of “La Référence Plus” (issue 2878), the paper’s editor received a call on his mobile phone on 22 September in which the caller told him, “I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Augustin Kikukama. You have declared war against me. You’re going to end up in Mbenseke [ed. note: a Kinshasa cemetery] in two weeks’ time and I am going to destroy your paper.” Ipakala had earlier confirmed this information to JED at 10:20 a.m. (local time) on 22 September. Asked why he was making these threats, Kikukama reportedly told the journalist that he was angered with the paper “for publishing a story on the M-17 by lawyer Célestin Luanghy.” Luanghy heads a dissident M-17 faction. Kikukama insisted that “M-17” is a registered trademark and that he has exclusive rights to use of the name.
Moreover, in a 20 September letter addressed to “the directors of Kinshasa’s audio-visual and print media” and received by “La Référence Plus”, Kikukama said, “. . . Any statement originating from Mister Luanghy and his group in the name of our movement, and echoed in your media, will be interpreted by us as a mark of solidarity with the forger. We will be obligated to pursue legal action against any media that does not respect the law.”
In a 26 September letter to Kikukama, JED said it took the death threats against Ipakala and other threats against “La Référence Plus” very seriously, considering the general climate of insecurity in Kinshasa in recent months. JED added that it would hold Kikukama responsible should anything happen to Ipakala, his newspaper, or any other employee of “La Référence Plus”. The organisation also urged the state prosecutor to launch an investigation into this situation.
With regard to the reasons provided by Kikukama for threatening the journalist, JED recalled that the media’s role is not to “ensure that the law is observed.” Were this the case, no media would discuss rebel movements to begin with. JED noted that the media’s role is rather to report on events likely to be of interest to the public and to seek to advance democratic debate in the country. JED also said that the current split within the M-17 is likely to be of interest to the public and, as such, constitutes a legitimate news story. Finally, JED noted that “La Référence Plus” acted professionally by reporting on the M-17 faction, and that the group, which identifies itself as a “liberation” movement, has nothing to be upset about.
