this file “seems increasingly motivated by political considerations”

2 mins

For more than four months, Stanis Bujakera, deputy publication director of the news site Actualite.cd, correspondent for Young Africa and Reuters is languishing in a cell in Makala prison, in Kinshasa, following the publication of an article by the editorial staff of Young Africa – which he had not signed – implicating Congolese military intelligence in the assassination of a former minister turned opponent, Chérubin Okende, in July 2023.

This Friday, the human rights NGO, Human Rights Watch took the floor to demand, once again, his release, as Thomas Fessy, senior researcher for the DRC at HRW, explains: “ This file is full of inconsistencies and irregularities. The article in question is signed by the editorial staff of Young Africa. The accusation initially related to the sharing by instant messaging of an alleged note from the intelligence services on the murder of an opposition official, Chérubin Okende. Then, finally, Stanis Bujakera was accused of having fabricated this note and of having forged the signature and stamp of the intelligence agency.

Opacity, no evidence

“ The Public Prosecutor’s Office is, until now, unable to provide proof. Telegram and WhatsApp confirmed, in a counter-investigation, that it is technically impossible to trace the original sender of a message.

“ This case also highlights the opacity surrounding the investigation into the murder of Chérubin Okende. It’s been more than six months since he was found dead in his car. No investigation report has been made public and even the family still does not have access to the autopsy report. Meanwhile, the judiciary is targeting a journalist whose editorial team investigated this murder. This is a case that appears increasingly politically motivated and Stanis Bujakera should be released unconditionally », Explains Thomas Fessy.

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