| UN journalist killed in Congo |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Tuesday, 19 June 2007 | |
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He was the third journalist murdered in the former Belgian colony since 2005. The motive for the killing was not clear, though Maheshe had dispute with the military. Serge Maheshe was walking from a friend's house when he was approached by two men dressed in civilian clothes on the day of his murder. They asked his name and after confirmation fired several shots into his legs and chest. Several reporters working in Congo have been murdered in recent years. Franck Ngyke, the political editor of a newspaper, was shot dead in Kinshasa in 2005, and freelance journalist Bapuwa Mwamba was killed at his home in the capital in 2006 after denouncing police intimidation ahead of the historic elections. Threats and intimidation against journalists are common in Congo, which last year held its first free elections in more than four decades. The military of the Democratic Republic of Congo has a bad reputation of abducting civilians and using them for forced labor. On occasions, soldiers threatened journalists and human rights activists trying to cover the incidents. Maheshe, had received death threats before because of his work as a journalist. The Army is currently in the rebuilding process after the Second Congo War officially ended in July 2003. Congo's military is one of the most unstable in the region. The international press freedom watchdog ‘Reporters without Borders’ classifies Congo as a "difficult situation" country. Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 29 June 2007 ) |
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