(JED/IFEX) – Officers from the Congolese National Police’s (Police nationale congolaise, PNC) Special Services arrested Maurice Bokoko and Valère Mulopo Kisweko, second vice-president and secretary-general of the Congolese Press Union (Union de la Presse du Congo, UPC), respectively, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) on 6 October 2003. The UPC representatives were taken to the “Kin-Mazière” […]
(JED/IFEX) – Officers from the Congolese National Police’s (Police nationale congolaise, PNC) Special Services arrested Maurice Bokoko and Valère Mulopo Kisweko, second vice-president and secretary-general of the Congolese Press Union (Union de la Presse du Congo, UPC), respectively, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) on 6 October 2003. The UPC representatives were taken to the “Kin-Mazière” detention centre in Kinshasa/Gombe and held there for five hours.
The PNC’s Special Services have accused Bokoko and Kisweko of obstructing their investigation aimed at locating the addresses of “L’Interprête” newspaper and its editor. Reporting on the climate of insecurity that has gripped Kinshasa in recent months, “L’Interprête” had published news stories about the assassination of a Tax Department official in late September. The police have complained that “L’Interprête” published “false news” and demanded that the UPC locate the paper’s editor on their behalf.
