28 08 11 Committee to Protect Journalists : Politician Taped Threatening Journalist

On August 3, Radio Télévision Satellitaire 1 (RTVS1) Editor-in-Chief
Eugénie Ntumba called Yves Kisombe, a member of DRC's National Assembly,
asking for his comment on an open letter by opposition parties urging
President Joseph Kabila to ensure transparent presidential elections
this November. In the recording, Kisombe accused the journalist of not
disclosing the purpose of her call before asking a question. "What is
the name of this whore? What is the name of this bitch who has dared to
disrespect me?" he shouted in the recording.

He was then heard threatening to storm the Kinshasa-based station if
he was not given the identity of the journalist that allegedly hung up
on him, CPJ research found. Later, Kisombe stormed the studios of RTVS1 –
a private broadcaster belonging to Prime Minister Adolphe Kizito –
demanded to see the journalist, and threatened to rape her, Ntumba told
CPJ.

"We condemn the warrantless and obscene insults and threats that
Congolese Member of Parliament Yves Kisombe directed at Eugénie Ntumba
over a botched interview," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed
Keita. "We call on Congolese authorities to take action against Kisombe
in order to strengthen the rule of law in the country."

"When I started to speak, [Kisombe] told me he could not hear me
well," Ntumba told CPJ, but she said she had clearly identified herself
and the purpose of her call. She claimed the politician began shouting
at her despite her apologies and then the call got dropped. She never
called back, but Kisombe subsequently called the station to threaten
her.

She claimed she later received two anonymous phone calls on August 16
in which the callers threatened to kill her for having recorded
Kisombe's comments. She also reported that an anonymous person called
her father to pressure him to "convince" her to go on television and say
the recording was a montage and that she worked for the opposition.

Ntumba said she has filed a complaint against Kisombe for death
threats and insults. In an interview with U.N.-sponsored broadcaster
Radio Okapi on Wednesday, Kisombe described the audio recording as a
"grotesque montage."

Speaking to CPJ today, Congolese Communication Minister Lambert Mende
said the government had "taken note" of the accusations of the
journalists and the denials of Kisombe. "It is difficult to accept that
there are such insults this way without consequences," he said, adding
that the case should be referred to the newly established state-run
media regulatory agency, the High Council for Audiovisual Media and
Communication. On Tuesday, three Congolese press groups – Journaliste en
Danger, the Congolese National Press Union, and the Observatory of
Congolese Media – called for a media blackout on Kisombe's activities
for six months, news reports said. The groups have also planned a march
on Friday to protest a series of recent attacks on journalists in the
line of duty by members of the ruling party and security forces.