(JED/IFEX) – Roger-Salomon Lulemba bin Kiabululu, a correpondent for the Kinshasa-based weekly “L’Eveil” in Tshikapa (West Kasai province), was arrested on 12 July 2003 at 6:30 p.m. (local time). The journalist was picked up by Congolese National Police (Police nationale congolaise, PNC) officers posted at Tshikapa city hall. Lulemba was first taken to the PNC’s […]
(JED/IFEX) – Roger-Salomon Lulemba bin Kiabululu, a correpondent for the Kinshasa-based weekly “L’Eveil” in Tshikapa (West Kasai province), was arrested on 12 July 2003 at 6:30 p.m. (local time). The journalist was picked up by Congolese National Police (Police nationale congolaise, PNC) officers posted at Tshikapa city hall. Lulemba was first taken to the PNC’s Tshikapa headquarters, where he spent the night. The next day at around noon he was transferred to Kanzala prison after giving a statement.
In a telephone conversation with JED on 13 July, a few minutes before his transfer to prison, Lulemba said he was treated “like a thug” and assaulted at the time of his arrest. The journalist added that police officers had accused him of coming to city hall after normal visiting hours and complained to him that “journalists are constantly criticising the police.” Reached by telephone on 13 July, Tshikapa Mayor Hubert Mbingo said he was “unaware of this incident” and promised to “do everything possible to ensure that the journalist, who is also a friend, is released.”
Also on 12 July, Gustave Mpinganayi, manager of Radio Kilimandjaro, a local station, was arrested and detained for four hours by one Commander Blaise, from the PNC Special Services Branch, who was not otherwise identified. The incident toook place in Kamonia, a diamond-mining town located 80 kilometres from Tshikapa. That same day, during his station’s news bulletin, Mpinganayi had reported on a conflict between two diamond miners. One of the protagonists was angered by the station’s report and had subsequently complained to Commander Blaise.
JED recalls that Pierre-Sosthène Kambidi, a journalist with the private broadcaster Kilimandjaro and JED’s Tshikapa correspondent, was assaulted by Congolese Armed Forces (Forces armées congolaises, FAC) soldiers at Tshikapa’s Kanzala stadium on 29 June and suffered an injury to his left eye. The troops were under the command of one Sub-Lieutenant Masiya, who was not otherwise identified (see IFEX alert of 2 July 2003). The journalist was hospitalised at Tshikapa’s Passy medical centre. The soldiers were trying to prevent Kilimandjaro Radio-television cameraman Patrick Tshibwabwa from filming a football match between two local teams, FC Momekano and AS Bakolo Mboka. As Kambidi intervened he was assaulted by the soldiers. Tshibwabwa was arrested and taken to the detention facility located at FAC’s Tshikapa headquarters. He was released three hours later.
JED notes that Tshikapa has recently become the city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the highest number of attacks against journalists are taking place. JED urges Interior Minister Théophile Bemba Fundu, West Kasai Governor Claudel Lubaya and the PNC’s inspector-general, Mr. Katsuva, to see to it that access to information and the right to inform and to be informed are assured throughout West Kasai province, as guaranteed by Articles 27, 28 and 29 of the DRC’s constitution.
