DRC: journalist Stanis Bujakera sentenced to 6 months in prison
The correspondent of Jeune Afrique and Reuters in Kinshasa, Stanis Bujakera, was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of 1 million FC for having “manufactured and distributed” a false document incriminating military intelligence in the death of the opponent Chérubin Okende, last July.
The Kinshasa/Gombe high court has rendered its judgment in the case concerning journalist Stanis Bujakera accused of having manufactured and distributed a document deemed false by the authorities. This document incriminated military intelligence in the death of political opponent Chérubin Okende last July.
The charges against the journalist include falsification, forgery and forgery. The public prosecutor had initially requested a 20-year prison sentence against Bujakera, but the court ultimately handed down a six-month prison sentence accompanied by a fine of 1 million FC.
Bujakera's arrest dates back to September 8, when he was apprehended on the listed charges.
Despite the mitigating circumstances recognized by the court, the sentence remains a harsh reality for Bujakera, who was incarcerated in Makala prison for almost seven months. However, with time already spent in detention, Stanis Bujakera, who is also the deputy publishing director of ACTUALITE.CD, a Congolese online press, is expected to be released very soon.