KINSHASA, DR Congo
Congolese investigative journalist, Steve Wembi was targeted by "a raid (conducted) by agents presented as belonging to the National Intelligence Agency (ANR)," ACPI said in a statement.
He "has been detained in
a hotel in central Kinshasa, but remains unaccounted for until now," the
association added.
A reporter said on condition
of anonymity that he saw Steve Wembi being taken away by these men in front of
the hotel in a white jeep.
"He was never arrested by
the services, in any case, I took my phone yesterday to check", said
Tuesday evening on the official television (RTNC) the Congolese Minister of
Communication and government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, mentioning, on the
other hand, a man "in hiding" without more details.
"We are concerned about reports that Congolese journalist Steve Wembi has been arrested. Mr. Wembi is a well-known freelance journalist who has worked for media outlets including the New York Times, although he is not currently on assignment for the Times," said Nicole Taylor, a spokeswoman for the newspaper.
The ACPI added that another of
its members, journalist Pascal Mulegwa, Kinshasa correspondent for Radio France
Internationale (RFI), "who came to inquire about the situation of his
colleague, was brutally arrested in front of the hotel and stripped of his
personal belongings.
His belongings were returned
to him "after more than two hours of detention in inhumane conditions in
the premises of the ANR," the statement added. "However, a large sum
of money was taken from him by agents of the ANR," continued the ACPI.
The Association "condemns
these abusive acts against its members and demands that the competent
authorities conduct appropriate investigations to locate" Steve Wembi. In
its statement, it said it remains "concerned about threats and other
pressure exerted on correspondents of the international press for months.
The situation is tense in the
eastern DRC, which has been plagued by violence from armed groups for nearly 30
years and where the resurgence of the M23 rebellion has caused renewed tension
with neighboring Rwanda. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebellion,
which Kigali denies.
In his weekly briefing on
Monday, Patrick Muyaya called on the press to "hold the media front"
and "avoid playing into the hands of the enemy.
"We value the freedom of
the press," he said Tuesday on RTNC.
"It is also important to
know that we are in a state of war, that part of the territory is occupied and
that information related to military news requires professional coverage,"
he insisted.
The DRC is ranked 125th (out
of 180) in the latest world press freedom index established by the journalists'
rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
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