New
York, August 25, 2017--Congolese authorities should immediately drop
all charges against Jean Pierre Tshibitshabu, a reporter for
the independent broadcaster Radio Television KADEKAS, and investigate
claims that the journalist was assaulted in custody, the Committee to
Protect Journalists said today.
Security
forces arrested Tshibitshabu in Lubumbashi on July 31, while he was
covering protests calling for elections, according to the journalist's
lawyer, David Ilunga Sheria, and the Congolese press freedom advocacy
organization Journalistes en Danger.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced unrest since December
last year, when President Joseph Kabila failed to hold scheduled
elections at the end of his term.
Tshibitshabu,
who was arrested alongside four activists, has been charged with
"incitement and provocation," Ilunga told CPJ. The lawyer told CPJ that
when he was leaving Kasapa Central Prison after visiting the journalist
on August 18, he witnessed prison inmates repeatedly slap and hit
Tshibitshabu, and said that the prison guards did not intervene. The
journalist sustained multiple cuts and bruises in the attack. Ilunga said
that the prison failed to provide adequate medical treatment and that
Tshibitshabu is still suffering from multiple injuries.
CPJ's repeated phone calls to Justin Kutule, the director of Kasapa prison, went unanswered.
"Congolese
authorities should immediately release Jean PierreTshibitshabu, drop
all charges against the journalist, and take action against those who
attacked him in prison," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela
Quintal. "Journalists must be permitted to operate freely without fear
of harassment or detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
especially during times of tension."
On
the day of his arrest, police confiscated Tshibitshabu's phone and
seized about 30,000 Congolese francs (US$19) as well as US$20 in cash,
Ilunga told CPJ, adding that the Tshibitshabu planned to file a
complaint against the security forces.
When CPJ contacted the Lubumbashi police, a person who identified himself only as Major Paul refused to comment.
Chaertk
Ntamdwe, the director of Radio Television KADEKAS, told CPJ the station
is contacting international organizations to highlight Tshibitshabu's
case and secure his release. The journalist is due to appear in a
Lubumbashi court on August 29, his lawyer told CPJ.
CPJ is aware of
at least 18 other journalists detained or harassed by Congolese
security forces on the same day Tshibitshabu was arrested. The other
arrested journalists were released without charge.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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