17 April 2007

UNFAIR TRIAL FOR EDITOR'S ASSASSINS


Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED) has expressed its disappointment over the "incomplete" trial held last week for the alleged assassins of a journalist and his wife, which resulted in two defendants being sentenced to death.

Franck Ngyke, editor of the daily paper "La Référence Plus", and his wife Hélène Mpaka, were reportedly shot at point blank range on the night of 2 November 2005 in their home in Mombele.

A military court pronounced on 13 April that Joel Munganda, Papy Munongo and Didier Awatimbine were guilty of the double assassination. Munganda and Munongo were given the death penalty; Awatimbine was sentenced to life in prison.

But the trial "did not allow the whole truth to come out" about the motives of the double assassination, JED says. According to JED and the defence lawyers, the police and military investigation did not go far enough, the real motives remain unknown, and the court refused to hear from numerous witnesses who said there was someone else behind the murder.

The defendants have five days to appeal.

Visit these links:
- JED: http://www.jed-afrique.org/full_view.php?id_alerte=656
- Previous alerts: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/82449
(17 April 2007)



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INTERNATIONAL: WACC PHOTO COMPETITION 2007 17 April 2007 INTERNATIONAL: 2007 ASIA DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD 17 April 2007 MOROCCO: COURTS ARE CRIPPLING INDEPENDENT PRESS, CPJ FINDS 17 April 2007 BANGLADESH: PETITION TO PROTECT TASLIMA NASRIN 17 April 2007 ETHIOPIA: EIGHT JOURNALISTS ACQUITTED 17 April 2007 IRAQ: REPORTER AND HUSBAND KILLED IN MOSUL 17 April 2007 RUSSIA: CAMERAMAN FOUND DEAD; PROTESTS SUPPRESSED 17 April 2007 BURMA: INDIAN AUTHORITIES RAID BURMESE NEWS AGENCY 17 April 2007 ERITREA: THIRTY-EIGHT IFEX MEMBERS DEMAND JUSTICE FOR JAILED AND MURDERED JOURNALISTS 17 April 2007 INTERNATIONAL: OLD-FASHIONED CRIME OF "BLASPHEMY" BACK WITH A VENGEANCE 17 April 2007

Democratic Republic of Congo

Community radio station back on air after three-month suspension 24 January 2012 Newspapers suspended on alleged administrative violations 10 January 2012 See all alerts: Democratic Republic of Congo


Central and Eastern Africa

SOUTH SUDAN: Journalist assaulted in Parliament 9 February 2012 UGANDA: Court acquits “Daily Monitor” editors 8 February 2012 DJIBOUTI: Radio journalist threatened and tortured for 24 hours 3 February 2012 KENYA: WiPC interview with Robert Wanyonyi on witnessing and reporting on crime 1 February 2012


 
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