(JED/IFEX) – Washington Lutumba, correspondent in the province of Lower-Congo for the Kinshasa-based daily “Le Potentiel”, has been detained in a cell at the central prison in the city of Matadi (350 kilometres west of Kinshasa) since 30 March 2001. The journalist was arrested the previous evening at his home in the province of Lower-Congo’s […]
(JED/IFEX) – Washington Lutumba, correspondent in the province of Lower-Congo for the Kinshasa-based daily “Le Potentiel”, has been detained in a cell at the central prison in the city of Matadi (350 kilometres west of Kinshasa) since 30 March 2001.
The journalist was arrested the previous evening at his home in the province of Lower-Congo’s county town, by Congolese National Police (Police nationale congolaise, PNC) officers. The police officers immediately took him to one of their cells. He was transferred to the central prison twenty-four hours later.
According to information received by JED, Lutumba’s arrest is linked to the publication of an article he wrote, titled: “Boma: 45,000 bags of rotting wheat flour unloaded on the Lower-Congo market”. The article appeared in the 15 March edition of “Le Potentiel” (issue 2169). In the article, the journalist denounced the release for sale of wheat flour that was unfit for human consumption in the cities of Boma, Moanda, Banana and Kinshasa.
