KINSHASA, DR Congo: Lawyers for detained journalist Stanis Bujakera said on Friday they had filed a new request for his release after the president of the DR Congo said he was a “victim” of a “sick” justice system.
Bujakera, a correspondent working for Jeune Afrique magazine and Reuters news agency, has been detained since September 8 for an article questioning the role of military intelligence in the assassination of an opposition leader.
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi criticized what he called “procrastination” over the case at a press conference Thursday night, saying he had decided to “stick his nose in.”
He added that he would take “the decision that needs to be taken”.
After submitting the release application at Makala Prison in Kinshasa, lawyer Jean-Marie Kabengela said: “There has been a development today.”
The president slammed his fist on the table “so that our client will be temporarily released,” he said.
Several requests for Bujakera’s release have so far all failed.
His trial was adjourned to March 8 with Bujakera facing charges of “producing and distributing” a civilian intelligence memo accusing military intelligence of the murder of Cherubino Okende, found bullet-riddled in his car in July last year.
The trial court has been bogged down for several weeks with experts trying to verify documents and signatures.
