Michel Luya, publisher of the opposition newspaper “Le Palmares”, was arrested at his home on 17 September 1995 and handed over to the court. He could face one to twelve months’ imprisonment. And, on 18 September, Minister of Information and the Press Boguo Makeli ordered “Le Palmares” suspended indefinitely. These actions follow the paper’s publication […]
Michel Luya, publisher of the opposition newspaper “Le Palmares”,
was arrested at his home on 17 September 1995 and handed over to
the court. He could face one to twelve months’ imprisonment. And,
on 18 September, Minister of Information and the Press Boguo
Makeli ordered “Le Palmares” suspended indefinitely.
These actions follow the paper’s publication of an article which
cited a Swiss source who claimed Zairian ruler Mobutu Sese Seko
would be “operated on for throat cancer after undergoing a first
operation on his prostate” (“[Mobutu Sese Seko] allait etre opere
d’un cancer de la gorge, apres la premiere intervention a la
prostate”). Makeli said the content of the article “attacks the
President of the Republic, whose inviolability is
constitutionally-guaranteed…, and aims to instill a collective
psychosis of a nature to disturb the public order” (“le contenu de
cet article porte atteinte a la personne du president de la
Republique dont l’inviolabilite est garantie par l’acte
constitutionnel de la transition et vise a creer une psychose
collective de nature a troubler l’ordre public”).
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Minister Makeli:
Civil and Political Rights, Article 19 of which guarantees the
right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all
kind”
responses to alleged press violations
that actions against “Le Palmares” and its editor be abandoned
Appeals To
Boguo Makeli
Minister of Information and the Press
Kinshasa, Zairefax care of the Zairian diplomatic representative to your country
(in France)
Embassy of the Republic of Zaire
Fax: +33 1 42 89 80 09
(in Canada)
Embassy of the Republic of Zaire
18 Range Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 8J3 Canada
Fax: +1 613 747 9152
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
