November 8 marks two months since the arrest and detention of journalist Stanis Bujakera by the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The IPI global network condemns his continued detention and reiterates its call on authorities to release him immediately.
Bujakera was arrested and detained on September 8, at the airport in Kinshasa, by DRC police. On October 13, he was arraigned before the court and charged with “forgery of documents, falsification of State seals”, “propagation of false rumors” and “transmission of erroneous messages contrary to the law”. Bujakera has made several applications for provisional release. On November 7, when he appeared before the court again, the Kinshasa-Gombe court denied his request for the fourth time. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 17. If convicted, Bujakera faces up to ten years in prison.
The arrest, detention, and prosecution of Bujakera stemmed from an article published in August by the Jeune Afrique, a pan-African magazine. The article alleged the involvement of the DRC military intelligence service in the murder of former minister Chérubin Okende, who was found dead in his car on July 13, in Kinshasa. According to sources, the article for which Bujakera is being charged was not even signed by him. The article was based on a confidential memo from a separate intelligence agency that the Congolese authorities are alleging is a fake.
As the DRC’s December 20 general election approaches, there is growing fear of increased attacks against journalists. IPI monitoring this year has documented several attacks and threats to the press and journalists across the country, in addition to the detention of Bujakera. IPI recorded 10 threats to press freedom in the DRC in September 2023 alone.
‘’Authorities in DRC should cease the legal harassment of journalist Bujakera, drop all charges against him, and release him”, said Nompilo Simanje, IPI Africa Advocacy Lead. “The circumstances surrounding his arrest and prosecution signal the authorities’ intolerance of critical journalism. His continued detention has a chilling and self-censorship effect on the media and journalists as the country gears towards its general elections in December’’.
She added: ‘’We call on the authorities in DRC to create an enabling environment for media freedom which guarantees the safety of journalists and access to public interest information, particularly around the upcoming elections.’’
IPI demands the authorities to drop all charges against Bujakera and ensure that journalists working in the country can do their work without fear of reprisals.
