(JED/IFEX) – On the morning of 19 June 2006, when they reached their office, Jean-Pierre Lifoli, Laurent Kangisa and Justin Lifoli – director, journalist and technician, respectively, at the Kisangani-based, privately-owned Radio Mwangaza – were surprised to find their names chalk-written on the radio station’s doors. Beside the names were phrases written in Lingala, one […]
(JED/IFEX) – On the morning of 19 June 2006, when they reached their office, Jean-Pierre Lifoli, Laurent Kangisa and Justin Lifoli – director, journalist and technician, respectively, at the Kisangani-based, privately-owned Radio Mwangaza – were surprised to find their names chalk-written on the radio station’s doors. Beside the names were phrases written in Lingala, one of the four national languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): “You will find out who we are, elections are at hand, be careful.” Kisangani is the capital city of the Eastern Province (in north-east DRC).
Joined by mobile phone, Flory Ngongo, provincial president of the National Press Union of Congo (Union nationale de la Presse du Congo), told JED that the threats against Radio Mwangaza could be linked to the broadcasting of several political programmes about the general elections. So far no one has been able to identify the authors of those threats.
JED urges the Eastern Province authorities to carry out thorough investigations in order to find the instigators of the threats against Radio Mwangaza. JED also denounces the increase in threats and acts of intimidation against independent media operating in the DRC’s eastern provinces as elections near.
