On 4 August 2004, at around 4:00 p.m. (local time), National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale des renseignements, ANR/Lubumbashi) officers raided the premises of Radio Hosanna, a Lubumbashi-based evangelical radio station. The ANR officers confiscated all of the station's equipment, including its transmitter, and arrested six employees and a follower who were present at the time. The seven persons are being detained at an ANR detention centre in Kapenda. The station is owned by the Church of the New City of David (Eglise Nouvelle Cité de David).

According to information received by JED, the ANR accused Radio Hosanna of airing a sermon by Pastor Albert Lukusa on 31 July that "incited citizens to rebel against the national authorities".

In a 30 June sermon, Lukusa, who heads the Church of the New City of David, gave a "country situation report" in which he discussed the role of the church in the country and accused government officials of "not responding to the basic needs of citizens". The pastor also discussed the sensitive issue of ethnicity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reportedly saying that the country was "run by Rwandans and Senegalese". On 3 August, ANR officers arrested Lukusa. He was previously detained on 7 and 13 July because of the same sermon, which first aired on 1 July.

The six Radio Hosanna employees arrested on 4 August were Didier Lofoli, Roger Senda, Constantin Kazadi, Maturin Kasumpa, Clément Kabwe and Mimi Kanjinga.

Radio Hosanna was launched in February 2003. Seventy percent of its programming is given over to evangelical broadcasts. The remaining air time is made up of news and public affairs programmes.

MORE INFORMATION:

For further information, contact D. M'Baya Tshimanga, president, Journaliste en danger (JED), B.P. 633 Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo, tel. +243 99 29 323/345, fax: +243 88 01 625, e-mail: direction@jed-congo.org, alertes@jed-congo.org, Internet: http://www.jed-afcentre.org