(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Interior Minister Gaétan Kakudji, RSF requested the release of Emile-Aimé Kakese, managing editor of the private weekly “Le Carrousel”, and Caroline Pare, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) producer. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard recalled that “since Laurent-Désiré Kabila came to power in May 1997, more than 110 journalists have been […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Interior Minister Gaétan Kakudji, RSF requested the release of Emile-Aimé Kakese, managing editor of the private weekly “Le Carrousel”, and Caroline Pare, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) producer. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard recalled that “since Laurent-Désiré Kabila came to power in May 1997, more than 110 journalists have been arrested, making the Democratic Republic of Congo the most repressive regime in Francophone Africa.” Moreover, the organisation recalled that the Democratic Republic of Congo has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 19 of which guarantees freedom of expression.
According to information collected by RSF, Kakese was arrested on 24 June 2000 by police special services, who took him to the offices of the National Information Agency (Agence nationale de renseignements, ANR), in Kinshasa. He is being censured for publishing two articles in the 20 June edition of “Carrousel”. The first, titled “The Congolese opposition: after three years of resistance, unity is imperative”, denounced the fact that the Congolese opposition cannot express itself. The second, titled “Conflict at the top: dispute between Laurent-Désiré Kabila and Victor M’Poyo”, questioned the reasons behind the split between the head of State and his minister of petroleum.
Pare was arrested on 23 June, at the home of Jonas Mukamba, a former director of the public mining company MIBA who was arrested the night before. Several other persons, who were Mukamba’s guests, were also arrested and taken to the military security branch offices (Détection militaire des activités antie-patrie, DEMIAP). Pare arrived in Kinshasa on 21 June to prepare a documentary about Patrice Lumumba, the first Congolese head of government after independence, who was assassinated in 1961. She notably wanted to interview Mukamba, who was one of the last people to see Lumumba before his death.
RSF recalled that Pare is the second foreign journalist to be arrested since November 1999. On 14 November, Ghislaine Dupont, a journalist with Radio France Internationale (RFI), was arrested in Mbuji-Mayi. Her work materials were confiscated and, despite her having all the necessary authorisations, the journalist was detained at her hotel until her expulsion on 16 November.
