TV station raided, manager detained after broadcast of controversial news

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 18 September 2008
TV station raided, manager detained after broadcast of controversial news conference
SOURCE: Journaliste en danger (JED), Kinshasa
(JED/IFEX) - JED reiterates its urgent call for the release of Daudet Lukombo, Global TV's station manager, who was detained in secret for 48 hours in a cell at the police special services branch known as Kin-Mazière, before being transferred on 13 September 2008 at around 1:00 p.m. (local time) to a cell at the public prosecutor's office in Kinshasa/Gombe.On 15 September, Lukombo was questioned at length by a magistrate who accused him of "inciting rebellion" for having allowed the broadcast of the 10 September press conference by Member of Parliament (MP) Né Muanda Nsémi, the spiritual leader of the political-religious sect Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK). For the examining magistrate, "the broadcast of this press conference violated the code of professional ethics of Congolese journalists because it contained hateful remarks and insults directed against the head ofstate, Joseph Kabila." JED denounces the ridiculous nature of such an accusation, which was made against a technician who is in no way linked to the remarks of a known politician, who, for his part, has never faced any consequences over the incident.BACKGROUND:Daudet Lukombo was abducted on 12 September at around 1:00 am when a group of armed men in civilian clothes and others in police uniforms burst into the premises of Global TV in Binza Pigeon.All of the station's broadcasting equipment, notably cameras, microphones, mixing tables, cables and tapes were taken away during the raid. Since then, the TV station's broadcast signal has also been interrupted. This attack followed the 11 September broadcast on the station of a press conference held the previous day by Né Muanda Nsémim, MP and spiritual leader of the political-religious sect Bunda Dia Kongo (BDK). In his remarks, the BDK spiritual leader, who sits on the opposition benches in the National Assembly, reportedly accused members of the government in Kinshasa of being responsible for the situation in eastern part of the country, where the DR Congo's armed forces have clashed with Laurent Nkunda's rebel troops in North Kivu province.For further information, contact D. M'Baya Tshimanga, President, JED, B.P.633 Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo, tel: +243 819 929 323, +243999 996 353, +243 819 898 076, fax: +44 207 504 3544, e-mail:direction@jed-afrique.org, Internet: http://www.jed-afrique.org
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