25 Mar 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
A radio broadcaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been arrested and questioned by intelligence agents for “broadcasting false information liable to threaten state security”. Mohamed Lukebana, head of programming at Radio Television Bangu (RTB), was held by government officials in Kimpese after his station reported that Angolan troops had occupied the Bas Congo province earlier this month. Security officials forced Lukebana’s colleagues at RTB to retract the reports while the editor was being held.
25 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost
In the Democratic Republic of Congo Bruno Koko Chirambiza, a news presenter for a local, privately-owned radio station has been murdered. He was the third radio journalist to be murdered in Bukavu in the past two years, following Didace Namujimbo and Serge Maheshe. Read more here
21 Feb 2008 | Comment, Middle East and North Africa
A Tunisian comic may have paid a high price for making fun of the country’s leader, writes Rohan Jayasekera
Index on Censorship is calling for the release of Tunisian comedian Hédi Ouled Baballah, who has been jailed on the basis of suspect evidence, apparently in punishment for mimicking the country’s president.
The trigger seems to have been a private recording (available here) of comedian Hédi Ouled Baballah’s satirical imitation of Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali that has spread across the country by mobile phone.
Index on Censorship, together with fellow members of the Tunisian Monitoring Group (TMG) of international free speech groups, believes that Ouled Baballah was targeted by police and framed for drugs and currency charges as punishment for the popular satire.
(more…)
16 Aug 2007 | United Kingdom
NGO Global Witness struck a blow against an attempt to use privacy laws to stifle investigation yesterday, when a London court blocked an attempt to curb its exposure of possible corruption in the Republic of Congo.
The London-based group had been the subject of an attempt by Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, the son of the president of Congo, to stop it from publishing details which suggested he was personally profiting from sales of state oil.
Global Witness had published company records and credit card statements of Sassou Nguesso’s company, Long Beach, on its website.
In his rejection of Sassou Nguesso’s claim of the right to privacy, Mr Justice Stanley Burton said: ‘Once there is good reason to doubt the propriety of the financial affairs of a public official, there is a public interest in those affairs being open to public scrutiny.’
Diarmid O’ Sullivan of Global Witness told Index: ‘[Mr Sassou Nguesso’s] claim of right to privacy was a moot point, as established by the judge. The evidence unearthed by Global Witness was clearly in the public interest, and Mr Sassou Nguesso has a duty to address the suspicions raised by the documents.’
Mark Stephens of Finers Stephens Innocent LLP, which represented Global Witness, said: ‘This is a triumph for human rights. It shows that figures from autocratic regimes can’t expect English judges to cover up for them under some notion of privacy.’
