Muadianvita, a freelance journalist for the independent newspapers La Tempete des Tropiques, Umoja, and L’Example, was arrested at his home in Mont Ngafula, a county of Kinshasa, by soldiers of the Military Action and Intelligence Service (SARM) on the orders of General Bolozei Ngbudu. Muadianvita was transported to SARM headquarters at Kitambo in Kinshasa, where he is being held incommunicado.
On the same day, SARM soldiers returned with Muadianvita to his home to search for documents. After the search, he was transported back to SARM headquarters, which was controlled by a Major Boyombo.
Muadianvita’s arrest was in connection with a series of articles published in November 1996 about President Mobutu’s U.S.-based political lobbyists. The articles reported that the lobbyists were paid to maintain a foreign network that was acting to keep then-President Mobutu in power. Muadianvita published a list of these lobbyists, detailing how much Mobutu had paid each for their services.
Muadianvita’s attorney was denied access to his client after he was taken into custody, and SARM has refused to send the journalist to court because he will not reveal his sources for the articles.
On January 30, CPJ wrote a letter to then-Prime Minister Kengo wa Dondo, protesting the incommunicado arrest of Muadianvita.
CPJ has been unable to confirm the journalist’s whereabouts since Mobutu was ousted by Laurent Kabila on May 17.