Articles by Journaliste en danger (JED)
Police raid public radio station in Butembo, interrupting programmes and roughing up two journalists
(JED/IFEX) – Journalist in Danger (JED) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the raid on the public radio station (RTNC) in Butembo by a group of police officers, thereby interrupting a programme about insecurity in the city. “Raiding a media studio with weapons is violating the temple of truth. Insecurity is a real problem in […]
Two American journalists briefly detained by police; Rwandan journalist also detained before escaping
(JED/IFEX) – Reporter Kevin Whitelaw and photographer Kevin Horan of “US News and World Report”, an American weekly published in Washington D.C., and Jean-Léonard Rugambage, a journalist with the weekly newspaper “Umuco” published in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, were detained by police on 6 March 2007 while covering a hearing of a gacaca (popular court) […]
Broadcaster’s offices raided, signal interrupted by police
(JED/IFEX) – The following is an abridged version of a JED alert: JED has condemned the police invasion of the Congolese National Radio-Television (RTNC) studios in Butembo (in North Kivu province, eastern DR Congo) and the interruption of a live programme reporting on prevailing insecurity in the city. According to information received by JED, on […]
Publisher severely beaten in “phantom minister” case
(JED/IFEX) – Faustin Bela Mako, assistant secretary responsible for communications for the Lubumbashi section of the National Union of Congolese Federalists (UNAFEC, a political party in the coalition that contributed to the election of President Joseph Kabila), was severely beaten on 2 March 2007 by some 10 individuals identified by witnesses as being close to […]
Journalist sentenced to three months in prison, heavy fines in defamation case
(JED/IFEX) – On 26 February 2007, the Kalamu Peace Court in the city of Boma, in Bas-Congo province sentenced Popol Ntula Vita, a reporter with the Kinshasa-based weekly “La Cite Africaine”, to three months in prison without parole and a fine of US$6,450 in damages. The journalist was prosecuted for “defamation and damaging allegations” against […]
University professor who publishes newspaper arrested
(JED/IFEX) – On 23 February 2007, the Gikondo local court in Kigali ordered the 30-day detention of Bukavu Catholic University (CUB) professor Idesbald Byabuze, who is also director of the newspaper “Mashariki News”, published in Bukavu, South-Kivu province’s main city, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Byabuze was arrested in Kigali on 16 February by […]
Un journaliste libéré après 35 jours de détention à Kinshasa
(JED/IFEX) – Rigobert Kwakala Kash, éditeur-directeur responsable du bihebdomadaire “Le Moniteur”, paraissant à Kinshasa, capitale de la République démocratique du Congo, a été libéré, vendredi 16 février 2007, après 35 jours de détention au CPRK (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa). Le journaliste a déclaré à JED avoir payé une caution de 30 000 […]
Public prosecutor seeks 12-month prison sentence and heavy damage payment from journalist in Boma
(JED/IFEX) – On 16 February 2007, the public prosecutor of the Kalamu Peace Court in the city of Boma, in Bas-Congo province, called for a 12-month prison sentence and payment of US$12,500 in damages by Popul Ntula Vita, the local correspondent for the weekly “La Cité Africaine”, based in the provincial capital, Matadi. The court […]