DRC: RFI supports its correspondent Pascal Mulegwa sued for defamation
RFI supports its correspondent in the DRC, Pascal Mulegwa.
RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Our correspondent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pascal Mulegwa, sued for defamation by José Makila, the former Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Transport, appeared in court on Tuesday, December 22.
RFI trusts the Congolese justice and assures its correspondent, Pascal Mulegwa, of all its support.
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On September 20, our colleague had reported on the antenna and on the RFI site of an ODEP report which accused Senator José Makila of having embezzled money to finance his electoral campaign.
Pascal Mulegwa's lawyers were surprised that only our colleague, RFI correspondent in Kinshasa, was tried and that ODEP, author of the cited report, was not even heard in the context of this case.
At the request of the defense lawyers, the court also considered it essential to compare the comments attributed to Pascal Mulegwa in the summons to appear with those actually broadcast on September 20, 2020 on RFI, comments which scrupulously respect the ethical rules in their formulation. .
The trial has been postponed until December 29.
RFI press release:
“
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senator José Makila, former Congolese Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Transport, filed a complaint on September 21 against the Observatory of Public Expenditure (ODEP) and against one of the RFI correspondents in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa.
The day before, September 20, our colleague had reported on the antenna and on the RFI site of an ODEP report which accused the senator of having embezzled money to finance his electoral campaign.
This Tuesday, December 22, Pascal Mulegwa was summoned alone to appear before the Kinshasa Ngaliema Peace Court. Mandated by RFI, Journalists in Danger (JED) and ODEP, Pascal Mulegwa's lawyers raised two exceptions. They were surprised that only our colleague was tried and that the ODEP, author of the report cited by RFI, was not even heard in the context of this case. They also argued that the complainant had not seized the Superior Council of Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC), which is according to them a legal obligation.
The Court decided to join the two exceptions to the merits in order to rule by a single judgment, a decision against which Pascal Mulegwa's lawyers have appealed. At the request of the defense lawyers, the Court also considered it essential to compare the comments attributed to Pascal Mulegwa in the summons to appear with those actually broadcast on September 20, 2020 on RFI, which scrupulously respect the ethical rules in their wording.
The trial has been postponed until December 29, 2020.
RFI claims to have repeatedly offered Senator José Makila to exercise his right of reply, which he has not wished to do so far. We are always available so that he can exercise this right, in accordance with the rules of journalistic ethics.
RFI trusts the Congolese justice and assures its correspondent, Pascal Mulegwa, of all its support. RFI is doing everything in its power to ensure that its rights are respected.
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