Court Sentences Congolese Journalist Stanis Bujakera to Six Months in Prison

A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday sentenced a Congolese Journalist, Stanis Tshiamala Bujakera, to six months in prison. According to his lawyer, the court found him guilty of spreading false information, among other charges.

The judges found our client guilty of all charges as established. They have imposed the most severe sentence of 6 months, plus the payment of a fine of 1 million Congolese francs ($364),” Bujakera’s lawyer, Jean-Marie Kabengela, told journalists.

The journalist Bujakera, who works as a correspondent with International media outlets, including Jeune Afrique and Reuters, was accused by the Congolese government through the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) of forging a document and publishing an article which it considers “discrediting government action.”

Bujakera denied the allegations. He was accused of “spreading false rumours, forgery in writing and use of forgery, and disseminating a false document.”

#FreeStanis – Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, correspondant de @jeune_afrique en #RDC, a été placé sous mandat d’arrêt provisoire le 11 septembre, après trois jours de garde à vue.
Cette détention est en contradiction avec les dispositions relatives au droit public à l’information de… pic.twitter.com/bS6mOi4Cyq

— Jeune Afrique (@jeune_afrique) September 12, 2023

However, the lawyer, Jean-Marie Kabengela, has informed the other media outlets his client worked for, Reuters, that “Bujakera is expected to leave the prison where he has been detained since last September on Tuesday because he has already served the time.”

He added that in line with routine procedures in such cases, “the legal team representing Bujakera would return to the court on Tuesday, get a copy of the ruling, and pay the fine to the prison for him to be released,” as reported by Reuters.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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