(JED/IFEX) – Raymond Kabala, publication director of the Kinshasa-based newspaper “Alerte Plus”, was released on the morning of 6 March 2003. The journalist spent a total of seven months and 14 days in prison. Kabala was arrested on 19 July 2002. He was first tried and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with no parole, having […]
(JED/IFEX) – Raymond Kabala, publication director of the Kinshasa-based newspaper “Alerte Plus”, was released on the morning of 6 March 2003. The journalist spent a total of seven months and 14 days in prison.
Kabala was arrested on 19 July 2002. He was first tried and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with no parole, having been found guilty of making “harmful accusations” against former security and public order minister Mwenze Kongolo. The Kinshasa/N’Djili High Court later reduced his sentence to seven months’ imprisonment with no parole. The journalist had published an article in which he had stated that Kongolo had been poisoned.
Kabala completed his seven-month sentence on 19 February. Curiously, the journalist remained in detention for two more weeks because the prison authorities had misinterpreted the previous court rulings. Instead of implementing the second ruling on appeal, the prison authorities wanted Kabala to serve two consecutive 12 and seven-month sentences, further to the Kinshasa/N’Djili court rulings.
After meeting with JED representatives on 3 March to review the case, Human Rights Minister Ntumba Luaba personally intervened to assure Kabala’s release.
