(JED/IFEX) – Jean Kenge Mukengeshayi, editor-in-chief of the Kinshasa daily “Le Phare”, was abducted in the late afternoon of Thursday 8 June 2000 at his newspaper’s offices, by two men in civilian clothes. The two men did not have a written summons but claimed to be from the Special Services of the Congolese National Police […]
(JED/IFEX) – Jean Kenge Mukengeshayi, editor-in-chief of the Kinshasa daily “Le Phare”, was abducted in the late afternoon of Thursday 8 June 2000 at his newspaper’s offices, by two men in civilian clothes. The two men did not have a written summons but claimed to be from the Special Services of the Congolese National Police (PNC). Some hours earlier, Raüs Chalwe Ngwashi, the commander of the Special Services, had telephoned the daily’s editorial offices and requested an audience with someone in charge at the paper.
That same afternoon, after arriving at the offices of the PNC’s Special Services, Kenge Mukengeshayi was interrogated for three hours by two National Information Agency (Agence nationale de renseignements, ANR) officers, who sought information concerning an editorial which he did not pen.
The article in question was titled “The Country at the Mercy of Mafiosi”. It was published in the Wednesday 7 June edition of “Le Phare” and was written by Tshivis Tshivuadi (assistant editor-in-chief and vice-president of JED). In the article, the newspaper denounced the management of public affairs by Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s government. Three government ministers had just been arrested by the security services. The newspaper also commented on a disagreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic concerning a gas shipment which was allegedly rerouted by Kinshasa authorities.
Following his interrogation, and without any further formality, Kenge Mukengeshayi was put in one the PNC Special Services’ offices, where he spent the night under deplorable conditions. He was released on Friday 9 June at approximately 9:00 a.m. (local time), and was not given any explanation for his detention.
