08 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Two policemen have been arrested, and the country’s most senior policeman suspended from duty, after the death of a human rights activist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Voice of the Voiceless” campaigner Floribert Chebeya, whose body was discovered last week in a Kinshasa suburb, was last heard from shortly before attending a meeting ordered by the inspector general of the national police force, John Numbi. Following the arrest of two policemen suspected of killing Chebeya, Numbi was suspended on Sunday by the attorney general, to allow an internal investigation to take place. Chebeya’s death has prompted widespread international attention. Criticisms have also been raised over increased police harassment of human rights activists. Four DRC-based human rights campaigners have been murdered in the last four years.
07 Jun 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Floribert Chebeya, 47, the president of the human rights organisation La Voix des Sans-voix (Voice of the Voiceless) has been found dead in his car in Kinshasa. Despite a series of text messages and phone messages sent by the victim on the evening of his disappearance, local police remain undecided as to the cause of the incident on 1 June. Police have gone on record stating that they are searching for the perpetrator of the crime. The prominent activist was previously arrested in March 2009 with two other individuals and held for a period without charge by police. Some local reports suggest that this was a direct result of his organisation’s high-profile media campaigns.
28 Apr 10 | Index Index, minipost
International human rights monitors are to investigate the murders of journalists in Honduras. Since the beginning of March, seven reporters have been shot dead in the country. A delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will travel to Honduras in May to determine whether the murders were related to their work. There have been suggestions that the killings may be connected to organised crime in the country.
27 Apr 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Three journalists were killed in two separate incidents on Saturday. Nathan S Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede from the Light Bearer, owned by the Church of Christ in Nigeria, were stabbed to death by Muslim rioters in the town of Jos. The town has been the centre of inter-religious violence, which has killed an estimated 1,500 people this year. In a separate incident, Edo Ugbagwu, a court reporter for the Nation, was shot dead at his home in Laos by two gunmen. It is unclear whether his killing was related to his journalism.
