Journaliste En Danger (Kinshasa)

Congo-Brazzaville: Weekly Editor Accused of Defamation And Propagating False News in Brazzaville

24 April 2006

press release

Fortune Bemba, editor of the Brazzaville-based weekly "Thalassa", was charged on 21 April 2006 with defamation, attack on the honour of the head of state and propagation of false news by the public prosecutor Dinard Moubanga Mokonji.

The journalist was arrested on 20 April and imprisoned in Brazzaville before being released the following day. He was questioned on the subject of an article published in the last installment of the newspaper, entitled, "Were General Casimir Bouissa Matoko and Lekoudzou poisoned by Denis Sassou Nguesso". In this article, the newspaper accused the head of state of poisoning General Bouissa, who died a week ago.

The first hearing of this case before the Correctional Tribunal of Brazzaville is scheduled for 17 May.

  • Comment

Copyright © 2006 Journaliste En Danger. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Comments Post a comment