(JED/IFEX) – The Kinshasa/N’Djili High Court, in its capacity as an appeals court, gave its ruling on 21 November 2002 in the case brought by Mwenze Kongola, the now-suspended minister of security and public order, against journalists Delly Bonsange and Raymond Kabala, publisher and publication director, respectively, of the newspaper “L’Alerte”. The court found the […]
(JED/IFEX) – The Kinshasa/N’Djili High Court, in its capacity as an appeals court, gave its ruling on 21 November 2002 in the case brought by Mwenze Kongola, the now-suspended minister of security and public order, against journalists Delly Bonsange and Raymond Kabala, publisher and publication director, respectively, of the newspaper “L’Alerte”.
The court found the charge of “writing falsehoods” brought against Bonsange to be “unfounded,” but did find him guilty on the second charge of “failure to publish the newspaper’s address”. As such, Bonsange was sentenced to pay a fine of 300,000 Congolese francs (approx. US$750). He had originally been fined US$100,000 in damages and interest. His six-month prison sentence was also dropped.
The court did find Kabala guilty of having levelled “harmful accusations” against the suspended minister, but decided to reduce his sentence. Kabala’s sentence was reduced from 12 to seven months’ imprisonment with no parole. His fine of US$200,000 in damages and interest was also reduced to 1 million Congolese francs (approx. US$2,500).
Neither journalist has received an official notification of the court’s decision to date. Bonsange remains hospitalised at Kinshasa’s general hospital, under police watch, where he is being treated for diabetes. Kabala remains imprisoned at Kinshasa’s Penitentiary and Re-education Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa).
Background Information
Bonsange and Kabala were arrested on 19 and 22 July, respectively, for publishing an article in which it was reported that the minister of security and public order had allegedly been poisoned. The journalists were charged with “writing falsehoods” and making “harmful accusations”. On 6 September, a Kinshasa/N’Djili tribunal tried and sentenced them to six and 12 months’ imprisonment, respectively, and a total fine of US$300,000 in damages and interest. Bonsange and Kabala had appealed the original ruling.
