On October 20, 2023, Blaise Mabala, a journalist working with the private radio station Meme Morale FM based in Inongo, the capital city of the Mai-Ndombe province, in western DRC was arrested by an officer from the Agence Nationale des Renseignements(ANR), the state security agency. His arrest followed the broadcasting of a radio program with telephone call-ins from listeners, who allegedly criticized the actions of the local authorities. After three days of detention, he was brought before a magistrate court and charged with contempt of the authorities.