(JED/IFEX) – Kainda Kalenga, aged 44, director of the weekly newspaper “La Frégate”, published in Lubumbashi (capital of Katanga province, 2000 kilometres south-east of Kinshasa), was arrested for questioning a second time, early in the morning on Tuesday 9 October 2001. Kalenga was arrested at his home by officers from the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Criminal […]
(JED/IFEX) – Kainda Kalenga, aged 44, director of the weekly newspaper “La Frégate”, published in Lubumbashi (capital of Katanga province, 2000 kilometres south-east of Kinshasa), was arrested for questioning a second time, early in the morning on Tuesday 9 October 2001. Kalenga was arrested at his home by officers from the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Department, who had a summons signed by the Lubumbashi High Court Prosecutor’s Office.
According to information collected by JED in Lubumbashi, the journalist is being sued for “libel and defamation” by Belgian businessman Malta Forrest, who is based in Lubumbashi. Forrest is the owner of the Forrest Group. In issue 53 of the newspaper, dated 3 October, “La Frégate” published an article accusing one of Forrest’s sons of racism and the local courts of “powerlessness” with regard to the Belgian businessman. The newspaper reported that the Forrest Group’s “Congolese employees are paid less than their expatriate colleagues.”
Kalenga was first arrested for questioning on Monday 8 October, in the context of the same case. He was detained in a Lubumbashi High Court Prosecutor’s Office cell until 7:00 p.m. (local time) that day.
