7 September 2005
JED SECURES LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR JOURNALISTS
In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), journalists who face legal harassment because of their reporting will now have the support of legal advocates, thanks to the efforts of Journaliste en danger (JED).
The IFEX member has signed a partnership with a local law firm, MBuy-Mbiye, that will provide legal assistance to media outlets and journalists who otherwise lack the resources to defend themselves in court. The initiative is supported by UNESCO.
The partnership is a timely one. Since December 2004, when JED issued its last report on press freedom in the country, 11 legal actions have been filed against journalists or media outlets, says the organisation. All of them involve accusations of defamation or injury to reputation in response to articles about corruption, mismanagement of funds and abuse of power.
JED says it plans to sign similar partnerships with law firms in three other cities in the coming months - Bukavu, Lubumbashi and Kananga.
Visit:
- JED: http://www.jed-afrique.org/full_view.php?id_alerte=416
- RSF Report on DRC: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13570&Valider=OK
- CPJ Report on DRC: http://www.cpj.org/attacks04/africa04/drc.html
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