In a letter to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, RSF protested public threats a minister made against Alain Shungu Ngongo, correspondent with RFI and RSF. RSF asked the chief of state to ensure that Ngongo, and all professional journalists, are able to travel freely and safely to Brazzaville. The organisation recalls that the Democratic Republic of […]
In a letter to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, RSF protested public threats a minister made against Alain Shungu Ngongo, correspondent with RFI and RSF. RSF asked the chief of state to ensure that Ngongo, and all professional journalists, are able to travel freely and safely to Brazzaville. The organisation recalls that the Democratic Republic of Congo ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which contains Article 19, guaranteeing “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds”.
According to information gathered by RSF, on 24 January 2000, Ngongo was publicly threatened by Finance Minister Marthias Dzon, at the conclusion of a press conference the minister was holding at the Méridien Hotel in Brazzaville. The minister allegedly declared Ngongo his “enemy”, asserting that he had ordered the police to “tail” him. Apparently the journalist has been threatened by a number of people who are close to the minister. Since the beginning of January, Ngongo has been investigating possible embezzlement of public funds within the Directorate General of Taxation. According to his conclusions, more than 2 billion CFA francs (approx. US$3,002,056) were misappropriated.
