Francine Bishti, a reporter for the privately owned station Radio Télévision par Satellite 1 was attacked on November 16, 2015 while covering student protests in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to reports. Bishti was filming a group of about 16 students, who were protesting an increase in academic fees, when she was attacked by a group who started hitting and kicking her, news reports said.
A colleague who witnessed the incident drove Bishti to hospital, according to reports. Tshivis Tshivuadi, secretary general of Journaliste en Danger, a Congolese press freedom organization, told CPJ that Bishti has been released from hospital and is recovering from injuries at home. No arrests had yet been made, Tshivuadi said.
When contacted by CPJ, the Minster of Communications and Media, Lambert Mende, asked for more details about the attack. He was sent further details but had not yet responded to CPJ’s request for comment.
Radio France Internationale journalist Sonia Rolley told CPJ via email that when she spoke to the minister he condemned the attack on Bishti and said an investigation had been started. Rolley also tweeted the minister’s comments. Calls by CPJ to the Congolese National Police went unanswered.