ALERT - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

18 July 2001

SOURCE: Journaliste en danger (JED), Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - On Tuesday 17 July 2001, Joseph Mutambule, Joachim Diana
Gikupa, Kipela Mondo and Mireille Kavungu, deputy director-general,
publication director, principal editor-in-chief and management secretary,
respectively, from the pro-government daily "L'Avenir", were summoned to the
Public Prosecutor's Office's Criminal Investigation Department (Police
judiciaire des parquets, PJP) in Kinshasa / Gombe.

JED has learned that the journalists and employees were summoned by a
Criminal Investigation Department inspector (inspecteur de police
judiciaire, IPJ) named Konde. The only information in the summons received
by the "L'Avenir" journalists and employees was that they were to present
themselves "immediately" to the PJP's office to be "heard on a subject of
which they will be informed."

However, according to information received by JED, one of the persons who
delivered the summons said that Mutambule, Diana, Kipela and Kavungu were
summoned "for highly political reasons."

Fearing that they would be imprisoned immediately, the "L'Avenir"
journalists and employees refused to go to the PJP until they received an
explanation for the summons.

The PJP officers who were sent to "L'Avenir"'s headquarters then returned to
their office, after being ordered to do so by a magistrate who was alerted
by the newspaper's publisher. Minister of Communications and Press Kikaya
Bin Karubi personally went to the newspaper's headquarters to inquire about
the situation.

Three weeks earlier, "L'Avenir"'s publication director, Joachim Diana
Gikupa, was released after being imprisoned for seven days in National
Information Agency (Agence nationale de renseignements, ANR) cells. Diana
Gikupa's arrest and detention in inhumane conditions was linked to
"L'Avenir"'s publication of an article which was critical of the head of
state's cabinet director (see IFEX alerts of 22 and 18 June 2001).

For further information, contact D. M'Baya Tshimanga, president, or Mwamba
wa ba Mulamba, secretary-general, Journaliste en danger (JED), B.P. 633
Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo, tel. +243 99 29 323, +243, 99 29
345, fax: +243 12 21974, e-mail: [email protected], Internet:
http://www.congonline.com/Jed

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of JED.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit JED.
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