DRC: third night in detention for Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala
Jeune Afrique calls for the immediate release of its correspondent in Kinshasa, arrested Friday evening and since questioned about an article which does not bear his signature.
Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, correspondent for Jeune Afrique in Kinshasa, spent his third night in detention. He remains incarcerated on September 11, after more than 48 hours in police custody. Arrested on the 8th, he was heard by the commission responsible for investigating the murder of the former Congolese minister and deputy Chérubin Okende. The facts with which he is accused are the “spreading of false rumors” and the “dissemination of false information”.
Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala is still in the premises of the Kinshasa provincial police station. Heard for more than four hours on September 9, he was questioned again on the 10th. Initially scheduled for 11 a.m., this second hearing did not begin until the end of the afternoon, certain members of the commission having presented more than five hours late. This new interrogation lasted about two hours.
Our colleague, whose telephones and computer were confiscated, was questioned about the content of his conversations with the newsrooms with which he collaborates, including Jeune Afrique. Sunday, the prosecution having not taken a decision on a charge at the end of this late hearing, Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala again spent the night in detention. A decision is now expected during the day.
An article that Stanis did not sign
These accusations concern an article published on the Jeune Afrique website on August 31, which does not bear his signature, but that of Jeune Afrique. It is therefore worrying that our correspondent is being questioned about content that he did not sign and for which he cannot be held responsible.
The Congolese authorities contest the authenticity of the report attributed to the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), reproduced in this article. They sent us, on September 9, a few hours after Stanis' arrest, a letter denouncing "the false information published on the basis of a report wrongly attributed to the ANR, claiming to trace the circumstances of the death of Stanis honorable Cherub Okende”.
They claim that Jeune Afrique exploited a “false note attributed to the ANR”. The same letter says it regrets “that media deemed professionally credible have allowed themselves to be led astray to the point of relaying a document with misleading content”. Jeune Afrique reiterates its full confidence in all of its journalists, who are committed to providing fair and verified information, and who work with seriousness and professionalism.
We continue to call for the immediate release of Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala. Several Congolese political figures, civil society organizations and diplomatic representations – including those from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland and the European Union – have expressed their concern regarding the situation of our correspondent. We dare to believe in the Congolese authorities' attachment to the free exercise of journalism in the DRC.
