H.E. Joseph Kabila
President
Office of the President
Palais de la Nation
Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of Congo
Fax: (011 243 81) 02120
Your Excellency:
We at the Overseas Press Club of America write to you following your visit to the United States, where you witnessed daily the vibrancy of freedom in the media. This as you know is not the case in your own country. In recent months, repression and violence against journalists has grown to appalling proportions, and the Democratic Republic of Congo is now infamous globally for that. We list, though they are known to you, distressing and shaming incidents in recent months
1. In late October, 2007, Mr. Sylvain Ngabu, Minister of Higher Education, invited two journalists of Horizon 33 (a private TV station) to his office and then ordered five police officers to assault them. News director, Heustache Namunanika, managed to escape the beating, but cameraman, Didier Lifumbwa, was beaten and then dragged from the office by the police. This occurred a few days after the two journalists had raised critical questions on the air about the minister’s controversial role in the suspension of Diendune Kalindye as chancellor of a local university. After complaints were registered, Information Minister Toussaint Tshilombo Send was said to “deplore” the beating and said it would be raised at a cabinet meeting. We have no further news.
2. However, Mr. Send had ordered twenty two private television channels and sixteen radio stations closed just prior to that incident, over alleged regular non-compliance. The ban is for an indefinite period, though at least some stations report having paid the fees or submitted appropriate documents. Journalists say the ban came without warning, though the spokesperson, Mr. Fwafa, said the government had announced its intention to audit media outlets since March. Journalists consider this an attempt to intimidate stations close to the opposition.
3. In September, the radio station, Colombe, was raided by insurgent soldiers who kidnapped two journalists for twelve hours and stole equipment. The Committee to Protect Journalists complained that it is the government@quot;s responsibility to protect its community radio stations, which are the only sources of news in some areas. We agree.
4. In September, workers of Journalists in Danger (JED) were subjected to more threatening on-going warnings against their activities. JED is the local partner of Reporters without Borders.
5. In late July, four union activists were arrested for “publicly insulting the president and discrediting the government by launching a strike.” While these union members were released in August, they claim they were mistreated, beaten, held first in a military camp and then transferred to a detention center. Ultimately, all were released by mid-August on payment of a fine. The arrests had been ordered by your RNTC.
6. On August 10, a freelance journalist in eastern DNC was murdered as he returned from work covering a local conference on environmental protection. Patrick Kikuko Wilungula is the second journalist to be murdered in eastern Congo this year, after the killing of Serge Maheshe for his work.
Your Excellency, President Kabila, this list is too long to continue. The Freedom of the Press Committee of the Overseas Press Club of America urges you to focus your attention on your responsibility to the people who elected you president to oversee and insure protection and independence of the press in your country. It is that liberty which guards the democratic values you espouse. Forceful action is required from your government to reverse this trend toward suppression of the media and the growing dearth of daily news. We know the difficulties your country and your government face, and welcome your efforts to cooperate. We have hopes for stronger actions.
May we have the courtesy of a reply?
Respectfully yours,
Jacqueline Albert-Simon
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
Faida Maramuke Mitifu
Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo
1800 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Fax: (202) 234.2609
Ambassador Ileka Antoki
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Congo
to the United Nations
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 511
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 319.8232
Roger A. Meece
U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Embassy of the United States of America
310 Avenue des Aviateurs
Comune de la Gombe
Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of Congo
Fax: (011.243.81) 39.02.12