MAY 28, 2005 Posted: May 31. 2005 Jean Ngandu, Radio Okapi. ATTACKED The Committee to Protect Journalists was alarmed by the armed attack on Jean Ngandu, a Congolese journalist for Radio Okapi. On the evening of Saturday, May 28, as Ngandu was returning from an assignment, several men wearing Congolese army uniforms accosted him in…
New York, May 18, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the closing yesterday of Radiotélévision Kasaï (RTDK), a community radio station in the central diamond mining town of Mbuji-Mayi where at least three people were killed in violent anti-government protests. The local governor accused the radio station of inciting violence, but RTDK…
MAY 17, 2005 Updated: May 23, 2005 Radiotélévision debout Kasaï (RTDK) CENSORED The provincial governor ordered the closing of Radiotélévision debout Kasaï (RTDK), a community radio station in the central diamond mining town of Mbuji-Mayi, where at least three people were killed in violent anti-government protests. The governor, Dominique Kanku, accused the radio station of…
New York, April 11, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of members of Journaliste en Danger (JED), a press freedom organization based in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On April 4, JED Secretary-General Tshivis Tshivuadi received an email containing death threats against him and Donat M’baya…
APRIL 4, 2005 Posted: April 13, 2005 Journaliste en Danger (JED) THREATENED Tshivis Tshivuadi, secretary-general of the Kinshasa-based press freedom organization Journaliste en Danger, received an email containing death threats against him and Donat M’baya Tshimanga, JED’s president, and their families. The threats sparked concern amongst JED staff as well as local media organizations.
Overviewby Julia Crawford With the rule of law weak in many African countries, journalists regularly battle threats and harassment, not only from governments but also from rogue elements, such as militias. Repressive legislation is used in many countries to silence journalists who write about sensitive topics such as corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses. If…
Conditions for the press in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have improved somewhat since the government of President Joseph Kabila signed a peace accord with the main rebel groups in December 2002, ending four years of devastating civil war. However, local journalists still endure harassment, legal action, and imprisonment. They also have come under…
New York, February 11, 2005—A reporter with the Congolese private daily La Référence Plus jailed on defamation charges has been freed, CPJ has learned. A Kinshasa court granted José Wakadila a provisional release on February 8. He was freed that day after paying bail equivalent to US$200, according to local press freedom group Journaliste en…
New York, February 2, 2005—-A reporter with the Congolese private daily La Référence Plus was taken into custody on Monday and imprisoned in the western town of Matadi on defamation charges brought by two national oil executives. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for his immediate release. In September, a Kinshasa court sentenced José…
JANUARY 31, 2005 Posted: February 14, 2005 José Wakadila, La Référence PlusIMPRISONED Wakadila, a reporter with the private daily La Référence Plus, was taken into custody and imprisoned in the western town of Matadi on defamation charges brought by two national oil executives.