2 July 2003

Alert

JED's Tshikapa correspondent assaulted and injured by soldiers; cameraman detained briefly


Incident details

Pierre-Sosthène Kambidi, Patrick Tshibwabwa

journalist(s)

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(JED/IFEX) - On 29 June 2003, at around 5:00 p.m. (local time), Pierre-Sosthène Kambidi, a journalist with the private broadcaster Kilimandjaro, based in Tshikapa (in West Kasai province, central Democratic Republic of Congo), and JED's correspondent in the city, was assaulted by Congolese Armed Forces (Forces armées congolaises, FAC) soldiers at Tshikapa's Kanzala stadium. He suffered an injury to his left eye. The troops were under the command of one Sub-Lieutenant Masiya, who was not otherwise identified. The journalist is being treated for his injury at Tshikapa's Passy medical centre. He lost his cellular phone and the money he had on him during the incident.

According to information received by JED, soldiers tried to prevent Kilimandjaro cameraman Patrick Tshibwabwa from filming a football match between two local teams, FC Momekano and AS Bakolo Mboka. As Kambidi intervened, he was attacked by Sub-Lieutenant Masiya's men. Masiya told him, "You know that we were looking for you ... because you are [Etienne] Tshisekedi's man." Tshisekedi is president of the opposition Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UDPS).

Tshibwabwa was arrested and taken to the detention facility located at FAC's Tshikapa headquarters. He was released three hours later, but his camera was confiscated.



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