Congolese journalist faces defamation charge over report
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Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should drop all charges against Jeef Mwingamb, editor-in-chief of the weekly _Le Fédéral,_ and release him immediately, the Committee to
Protect Journalists said today. Mwingamb is facing a defamation charge under article 74 of the Congolese penal code, his lawyer, David Ilunga Sheria, told CPJ. The national security service
(ANR) summoned him on August 30 to its office in Lubumbashi and detained him, according to the Congolese press freedom advocacy organisation Journalistes en Danger. The charge is in relation
to a complaint that a regional government minister, Viviane Kapufi Mwansa, made to the federal security service about the way Mwingamb portrayed her in an article in _Le Fédéral_ on August
19, according to news reports. “Jeef Mwingamb should have never been arrested and detained. Authorities must release him immediately and ensure he has access to adequate medical attention,”
said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. “It is outrageous to target members of the press with criminal defamation simply for doing their job.”