(IFJ/IFEX) – According to IFJ, journalists with World Television News (WTN) have been detained by police and representatives from their embassies are being denied access to them. Photographers from Associated Press have been arrested and members of Reuters Television have been detained and beaten. In addition, the Minister of Information has confiscated film from reporters. […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – According to IFJ, journalists with World Television News (WTN)
have been detained by police and representatives from their embassies are
being denied access to them. Photographers from Associated Press have been
arrested and members of Reuters Television have been detained and beaten. In
addition, the Minister of Information has confiscated film from reporters.
All of the journalists involved in the above-mentioned attacks were
accredited by Minister Mumenge to work in Kinshasa.
Other members of the international press corps in Kinshasa have been
restricted to two hotels, the Memling and the Intercontinental, whilst
awaiting accreditation. As they wait, security forces are harassing the
journalists for their papers, which they know they have not received.
Further to these incidents of harassment and intimidation, Dominique
Sakombi, spokesman for President Laurent-Desiré Kabila, has made a statement
claiming that foreign correspondents are working for the “aggressors” of
Congo. He accuses journalists of being “no better than common criminals, of
being blind, immoral, unprofessional, and some of being evil monsters.” In
this statement he claims that he is acting under divine instruction and that
violence will be used against the “aggressors” and that God will send the
Angel of Death amongst them.
According to IFJ, this statement, coming from an official spokesman, can be
taken to sanction all attacks on journalists. By making this statement,
Sakombi has not only attacked freedom of expression in the Congo, he has
endangered the lives of all foreign correspondents in the country.
IFJ considers all these incidents to be in contravention of international
standards on freedom of expression and standards relating to the rights of
detainees.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to President Kabila:
journalists are released forthwith
individuals
that journalists should be allowed to exercise their profession, free from
harassment or intimidation of any kind
ensure
that international standards on the detention and interrogation of
individuals be respected at all times
Appeals To
Laurent-Desire Kabila
President of the Democratic Republic of Congofax care of the DRC diplomatic representative to your country
(in France)
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Fax: +33 1 42 89 80 09(in Canada)
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo
18 Range Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 8J3 Canada
Fax: +1 613 747 9152
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
