arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Bonsange transferred to hospital -
appeal hearing on 4 October
Delly Bonsange, who was sentenced to six months' imprisonment on 6 September 2002, has been transferred to hospital with high blood sugar levels. The next appeal hearing against the sentences handed down to Bonsange and Raymond Kabala takes place on 4 October.

Bonsange, a diabetic, was moved to Kinshasa General Hospital on 26 September after a check-up from a prison doctor. His condition has been caused by a change in his diet since entering prison and being barred from
taking his diabetes medication in the first few days of his imprisonment.

Bonsange, publisher of the Kinshasa-based newspaper Alerte Plus, was ordered to pay US$100,000 damages and given a six-month sentence for making "written falsehoods". Kabala, the newspaper's publication director, was fined US$200,000 damages and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for making "harmful accusations". Kabala claims he was
tortured until he named Bonsange as the author of an article speculating about the health of Mwenze Kongolo, the Security and Public Order Minister. The next appeal hearing will take place on 4 October 2002 at the Kinshasa/Ndjili High Court.

International PEN considers custodial sentences for cases of alleged defamation to be wholly inappropriate and the fines levied against Bonsange and Kabala to be excessive. PEN calls upon the Kinshasa/
Ndjili High Court to quash the sentence against Bonsange and
Kabala and release the two journalists immediately.

Please send appeals:
- Calling for the sentence passed on Delly Bonsange and Raymond
Kabala to be quashed, allowing for their immediate release.

Appeals to:

Major-General Joseph Kabila
President of the Republic and Head of State
Palais de la Nation
Kinshasa/Gombe
Democratic Republic of Congo
Fax: (c/o DRC Embassy in USA) +1 202 234 2609


Minister of Justice Ngele Masudi
Ministre de la justice et des Affaires parlementaires
Ministre de la justice
BP 3137 Kinshasa/Gombe
Democratic Republic of Congo
Fax: + 243 12 20 843

Thank you

Since you seem to have some concern over media-issues, I hope you know that the DRCongo has been the victim of a war- agression since August 1998. Armies from Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi along with their sponsors in Washington have occupied half of the Congo's territory and sustained a regime of massive terror against the Congo's population.

In this context, the least one can say is that your message totally lacks sympathy for the Congolese. Not a word about this context.

The only thing you see from your extremely narrow point of view is the fate of one person who made speculations about a member of government's health.

Do you know that in Kinshasa so-called newspapers like Le Phare have been allowed to distribute anti-patriottic desinformation throughout the war ? Not a hair on their heads has been harmed. And this while some 3 million people have died as a direct or indirect consequence of the war and the occcupation.

I know and experienced that the so-called state of justice does not function optimally in Kinshasa. Individuals are victim of misbehaviour by the military and the police. I agree that we should oppose these practices.
But they are secondary to the major constraints of war.
Will there ever be a day that you speak out about this ?

Je pense qu'il y a une nuance différente, le message ne se voulait pas une analyse de la situation politique globale. C'était un message pour aider deux personnes en difficulté, hors des considérentes subjectives.
Si le journaliste se faisait coupable de speculations sur la santé d'un membre du douvernement, il y a des moyens plus démocratiques de régler cette histoire.
Apriori, l'état de santé d'un membre du gouvernement est une affaire privée, jusqu'au moment où ça pourrait avoir des conséquances sur le processus décisionel officiel du ministre concerné.
La torture ne constitue sous aucune forme un moyen acceptable d'obtenir une déclaration qui sera utilisée plus tard contre un autre journaliste, même quand celui-ci est supposé coupable. Les droits individuels ne sont pas secondaires même pendant la guerre. Ca pourrait nous rappeler une certaine théorie de l'intérêt collectif qui pourrait primer contre les interets individuels, qui seraient supprimés. Il faut pas être Ayn Rand pour réfuser cette idée...