JOURNALIST KILLED IN EASTERN DRC

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000976 SIPDIS PARIS FOR USMISSION UNESCO SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO CG UNESCO SUBJECT: JOURNALIST KILLED IN EASTERN DRC REF: 06 Kinshasa 1105 Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet Distribution. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On August 9, 2007, a national press agency journalist was killed by unidentified gunmen in Goma, eastern Congo. The motive behind the assassination is not known. In the case of a journalist murdered in 2006, prosecutors have asked for capital punishment for three of four defendants. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Patrick Kikuku, a reporter and photographer working for the government-owned Agence de Presse Congolese (ACP) and the Kinshasa-based weekly Hebdo de l'Est, was killed near his home by a gunshot to the head at point-blank range. According to testimony collected by the Congolese human rights group Journaliste En Danger, the killers stole Kikuku's camera but left his money and his cell phone untouched. The motive for his murder is still not known. ¶3. (U) On August 9, prosecutors in the murder trial of independent journalist Bapuwa Mwamba (reftel) requested capital punishment for Vungu Mbembo, Nkunku Makuala, and Mangwene Lowayi. The men have been charged with criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, extortion, and murder. Suami Sumbu, a fourth suspect, faces a twenty-year sentence for illegal weapon possession. The lawyers for the accused requested a verdict of not guilty, citing the fact that the prosecution was unable to produce any witnesses to the killing, casting doubt about the identity of murderers. Bapuwa was killed in his home on July 8, ¶2006. A verdict is expected on August 17. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: While there appears to be no connection between the murder of Kikuku and his work as a journalist, this murder does demonstrate that members of the press remain vulnerable to armed violence, especially in Congo's volatile east. Kikuku is the fourth journalist killed in the DRC in the past two years. End comment. BROCK