CPJ tells Clinton of threat to women journalists in Congo

September 15, 2009

The Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Dear Secretary Clinton:

In light of your recent advocacy on behalf of Congolese women during your visit to Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we are writing to bring to your attention our deep concerns about the safety of three reporters covering women’s issues in Bukavu, south of Goma.

The three reporters, Delphie Namuto and Caddy Adzuba of U.N.-sponsored broadcasting network Radio Okapi and Jolly Kamuntu of local station Radio Maendeleo are members of the South Kivu's Association of Women Journalists (AFEM), which has trained female journalists and presents radio programs spotlighting women's issues, especially in rural areas. The unstable eastern region, which is rich in minerals but devastated by war and atrocities against civilians, including the systematic rape of women, is currently one of Africa’s most dangerous cities for journalists, according to CPJ research. Just three weeks ago, a radio journalist was murdered in Bukavu, the third reporter killed in the city since 2007, and local investigations have not been thorough and transparent in solving the motives and circumstances of the murders, according to CPJ research.

Namuto, Adzuba, and Kamuntu were named in an anonymous text message sent on September 8 to Namuto: “You have a bad habit of interfering in what does not concern you to show that you are untouchable. Now, some of you will die so that you shut up. We’ve just been authorized to start with Kadi, then Kamuntu, then Namuto: a bullet to the head.”

Adzuba, 28, who began her career in 2002 as a presenter with national public broadcaster RTNC and covered issues of disarmament as a field reporter for U.S.-based conflict resolution organization Search for Common Ground, told CPJ she has received at least five menacing calls since September 6. In one instance, the caller said nothing, but held up the phone so she could hear the live radio broadcast of her station, she said. As the first one named to be killed, she is severely traumatized.

Namuto, 35, has been a Radio Okapi reporter since 2003 and is the mother of a 1-year-old girl. Kamuntu, also 35 and eight months pregnant, has been a reporter since 2000. She heads AFEM, and since 2005, she has produced a weekly program on justice that is broadcast on 35 stations in eastern Congo.

Adzuba and Namuto said they were questioned by police on Monday while Kamuntu filed a complaint with the military court on Saturday. In a September 11 letter to Bukavu Attorney General Flory Kabange Numbi, Congolese press freedom group Journaliste En Danger urged authorities to open an investigation and trace the phone number of the caller with mobile carrier Vodacom.

We call on you to impress upon the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo the importance of the safety of human rights defenders, including journalists reporting on the war and its impact on vulnerable sections of the population, particularly women.

Sincerely,

Joel Simon
Executive Director

xSeptember 15, 2009

The Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520

Via facisimile +1 (202) 647-2283

Dear Secretary Clinton:

In light of your recent advocacy on behalf of Congolese women during your visit to Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, we are writing to bring to your attention our deep concerns about the safety of three reporters covering women’s issues in Bukavu, south of Goma.

The three reporters, Delphie Namuto and Caddy Adzuba of U.N.-sponsored broadcasting network Radio Okapi and Jolly Kamuntu of local station Radio Maendeleo are members of the South Kivu's Association of Women Journalists (AFEM), which has trained female journalists and presents radio programs spotlighting women's issues, especially in rural areas. The unstable eastern region, which is rich in minerals but devastated by war and atrocities against civilians, including the systematic rape of women, is currently one of Africa’s most dangerous cities for journalists, according to CPJ research. Just three weeks ago, a radio journalist was murdered in Bukavu, the third reporter killed in the city since 2007, and local investigations have not been thorough and transparent in solving the motives and circumstances of the murders, according to CPJ research.

Namuto, Adzuba, and Kamuntu were named in an anonymous text message sent on September 8 to Namuto: “You have a bad habit of interfering in what does not concern you to show that you are untouchable. Now, some of you will die so that you shut up. We’ve just been authorized to start with Kadi, then Kamuntu, then Namuto: a bullet to the head.”

Adzuba, 28, who began her career in 2002 as a presenter with national public broadcaster RTNC and covered issues of disarmament as a field reporter for U.S.-based conflict resolution organization Search for Common Ground, told CPJ she has received at least five menacing calls since September 6. In one instance, the caller said nothing, but held up the phone so she could hear the live radio broadcast of her station, she said. As the first one named to be killed, she is severely traumatized.

Namuto, 35, has been a Radio Okapi reporter since 2003 and is the mother of a 1-year-old girl. Kamuntu, also 35 and eight months pregnant, has been a reporter since 2000. She heads AFEM, and since 2005, she has produced a weekly program on justice that is broadcast on 35 stations in eastern Congo.

Adzuba and Namuto said they were questioned by police on Monday while Kamuntu filed a complaint with the military court on Saturday. In a September 11 letter to Bukavu Attorney General Flory Kabange Numbi, Congolese press freedom group Journaliste En Danger urged authorities to open an investigation and trace the phone number of the caller with mobile carrier Vodacom.

We call on you to impress upon the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo the importance of the safety of human rights defenders, including journalists reporting on the war and its impact on vulnerable sections of the population, particularly women.

Sincerely,

Joel Simon
Executive Director

http://cpj.org/2009/09/cpj-tells-clinton-of-threats-to-women-journalists.php

CPJ reports death threats to AFEM members

New York, September 11, 2009—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo must aggressively investigate threats made against three radio reporters in the eastern city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Delphie Namuto and Caddy Adzuba of U.N.-sponsored broadcasting network Radio Okapi and Jolly Kamuntu of local station Radio Maendeleo were named in an anonymous text message sent on Tuesday to Namuto: “You have a bad habit of interfering in what does not concern you to show that you are untouchable. Now, some of you will die so that you shut up We’ve just been authorized to start with Kadi, then Kamuntu, then Namuto: a bullet to the head.”

The threats come against a backdrop of increasing violence and intimidation—just two weeks after the murder of journalist Bruno Koko Chirambiza, the second radio reporter killed in this volatile city in 27 months, according to CPJ research.

Adzuba said she has received four menacing calls. She said she believed the caller has been tracking her movements using a masked number. On Thursday, she picked up a call from a local number. The caller said nothing, but held up the phone so she could hear the live radio broadcast of her station, she said. The threats have not been linked to any specific news item, according to Jacqueline Chenard, bureau chief of Radio Okapi in Bukavu.

Speaking with CPJ on Thursday, Bukavu police superintendent Col. Christian Shadiki Shamavu said he was not aware of the threats but would talk to the journalists. Shamavu told CPJ that the area has had a proliferation of armed groups circulating at night. The South Kivu's Association of Women Journalists (AFEM), the Congolese National Press Union, and the Network of Radio and Television Broadcasters of eastern Congo known as RATECO planned to file a complaint on Saturday, according to local journalists.

“Bukavu has become one of the most dangerous cities for journalists in Africa,” CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “Authorities must do everything in their power to protect these journalists and end a long pattern of violence and intimidation against the press.”

Kamuntu, who heads AFEM, produces a weekly program called “Sheria Ni Dawa” (Justice is a Remedy), which is broadcast on 35 stations in eastern Congo. The program has covered sexual violence issues since June, she said.

“Radio Okapi journalists, like other journalists in Bukavu, do not feel safe because of persistent insecurity. It’s not only journalists, but also human rights defenders who are targeted,” said Chenard of Radio Okapi’s bureau in Bukavu.

Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu, 2009 Knight International Journalism Award Winner

Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu, in her radio reports, brought to global attention how women in the Democratic Republic of Congo are raped and brutalized as a tactic of war. She has also organized a network of women journalists to cover key issues.

Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu uses community radio to report on the sexual violence against women in the lawless eastern section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At great personal risk, the self-taught radio journalist traveled through refugee camps in remote regions to collect wrenching personal accounts from women traumatized by violence. In 12 years of conflict, more than six million people have died and hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped and tortured.

“As a journalist who challenges long-held cultural beliefs and exposes the brutality of a regional war that is being fought on the bodies of women, Chouchou puts her life on the line each and every day,” said playwright Eve Ensler, one of those who nominated Namegabe for the award. Namegabe continues to face threats, especially after her powerful testimony in 2007 urging the International Court of Justice to classify rape as a political weapon in the Congo.

Namegabe also founded the South Kivu Association of Women Journalists and began equipping other women with microphones and radios to report more stories, including investigations of corruption and government mismanagement. In a culture in which women are shamed into silence, she has helped women find their voices and given them a support network to grow professionally as journalists.

More about this :

http://www.knight.icfj.org/Awards/KnightAwardsOverview/ChouchouNamegabebrNabintu/tabid/1367/Default.aspx

http://www.icfj.org/News/PressReleases/KnightAward2009PressRelease/tabid/1371/Default.aspx

http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20090623.133504&time=05%2000%20PDT&year=2009&public=0

AFEM TO PARTICIPATE IN SENATE HEARINGS

Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones

Joint hearing of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs (Feingold) and the new Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women’s Issues (Boxer), the first-ever committee to deal specifically with women’s issues worldwide. Boxer and Feingold will preside.

Melanne Verveer will be a powerful witness on this topic from the State Department; Eve Ensler founder of V-Day has worked on these issues for years; and 2009 Vital Voices Fern Holland Award recipient, Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu, brings a powerful and personal story of the horiffic acts of violence against women she has witnessed and covered in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This hearing is open to the public. (Source: Vital Voices)

Here is the official notice:

United States Senate
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE NOTICE

TO: ALL MEMBERS
HEARING: CONFRONTING RAPE AND OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN CONFLICT ZONES
SPOTLIGHT: DRC AND SUDAN
DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009
TIME: 2:30 p.m.
PLACE: SD-419

WITNESSES:
PANEL ONE
The Honorable Melanne Verveer
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues
Department of State, Washington, DC

PANEL TWO
Eve Ensler
Founder, V-Day

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu
Journalist, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Robert Warwick
Country Director of Southern Sudan
International Rescue Committee, Southern Sudan

Faces of AFEM

Ridelphine KATABESHA AGANZE was born on June 30, 1985 in Bukavu, in South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After high school, she helped create a youth organization which promoted women's rights and the rights of senior citizens (APGA). She was promoted to APGA's vice coordinator, a position that she held until 2007. Interested in journalism, she became involved with the radio station Star/Bukavu as a journalist, producer and radio show hostess. The same year, she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Civil and Judiciary Law. She joined the Women's Media Association in April 2007 and was elected the secretary of the Board of Directors in July 2008. Presently, she specializes in reporting, editing and production for AFEM/SK. She is in her final year of a Law degree at the Official University of Bukavu. As a single woman, she is particularly involved in the fight for women's right. To that end, she combines her studies with her journalistic profession.

Julienne BASEKE: Born on October 24,1979 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. At 10 years of age, she often went to see theatrical troops in her childhood town of Bukavu. At the end of her humanities studies in 2002, she was already a stage actress. In 2006, while she was employed as an instructor at the Official University of Bukavu, she began an internship at Radio Maria. The following year, she worked at Radio Maria as a contributor.
She joined AFEM/SK in 2006 and became AFEM's program coordinator. She is in charge of editing for projects and various reports. She produces shows on public awareness with rural women and as a result, she produces reports and interviews with these rural women. Julienne felt the need to get involved in journalism so that she could contribute to a positive image of women and push them to improve their situation. Julienne tries to use the media as a tool to encourage both awareness and advancement among marginalized groups.

Pascaline ZAMUDA MUKANDA: Born on October 26 1987 in West Kasai. She grew up in Bakuva, South Kivu province where her parents moved. At the young age of 12, she became interested in collective living and joined the Youth Association for Cultural Development (AJDC). The NGO Search for Common Ground recruited and trained 15 year old Julienne to become a young reporter. For five years, she performed the following duties: magazine editing and fieldwork in conflict zones. During this work, she reported on the situation of children in the armed forces and in conflict zones. 
After four years of work, she was promoted to a supervisory position over young reporters. She performed this duty for one year until she was dismissed after exceeding the maximum qualifying age in 2007. In 2008, she joined the South Kivu Women's Media Association and took charge of production for advocacy and awareness on behalf of victims of sexual violence.
She performs her job's duties in conjuction with her university studies. She is in her second year of undergraduate studies for Sociology at the Official University of Bukavu.

Colette SALIMA MULOBA is a journalist at Radio Maendeleo. After her studies in organizational behavior at the ISDR Bukavu, she began her journalistic career in 2006 at the Radio Télévision Grands Lacs. She continued her work at the Star radio station. Currently, she is employed at Maendeleo radio station. She chose journalism from a desire to be in contact with people, to listen to them, to help them and to resolve their problems. As a woman working in the media, she produces shows and moderated panels about women's advancement and sexual violence issues.

Joëlle NYARWAYA MUZIRIKWABO: Born on March 31, 1987 in Katana, in South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She spent her childhood in Rwanda where her father worked as a nurse. In 1994, she returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo after the onset of the Rwandan genocide. At 12 years of age, she became a member of the group, Meeting Place for Congolese Children. There, she worked as a spokesperson. At 15, she joined the NGO Search for Common Ground where she trained as a young reporter and edited the magazine «SISI WATOTO» or «NOUS LES ENFANTS» in French. Once she reached adulthood (at age 18), Search for Common Ground dismissed her and AFEM-SK employed her to produce shows. Her broadcasts promoted public awareness and training for two important issues: women's rights and good governance in South Kivu. As a single woman, she works at AFEM while she is studying International Relations in her second year at the Official Univeristy of Bukavu.

Agnès SADIKI NYABISOKI: Agnès SADIKI NYABISOKI: was born on March 23, 1972 at Kantamba, in Shabunda territory, in South Kivu province. After her studies, she followed her religious calling and joined a convent. She later changed professions and married. In 2001, she felt the need to become a journalist and she began a career at the public radio station RTNC. There, she brought a new voice especially to women's issues because at the public radio station women had never held any influential positions. Her professional rise is defined by her determination to work for interpersonal communication.

Women's eNews: Panel Discussion with Chouchou Namegabe

Media inattention and international inaction became the two faces of humanitarian indifference that emerged at a panel discussion on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo hosted by Women's eNews in partnership with Vital Voices and the Women's Media Center on March 23.

http://www.womensenews.org/congo-invite.htm

Panel Decries Neglect of Sexual Violence in Congo Congo has been described as the worst country to be a woman, due to sexual atrocities being committed in the eastern part of the country. At a New York media event late last month, African panelist tried to rally humanitarian attention.

2009 Global Leadership Awards

Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Vital Voices Fern Holland Award

In the Congo, 31-year old Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu is known by many as a pioneering, fearless voice for justice and accountability. Born in Bukavu in South Kivu Province, Chouchou developed a strong interest in radio broadcasting and journalism as a young student. She saw radio as the means through which to reach the masses in Congo, the only medium of communication accessible to nearly everyone everywhere.

In 1997, Chouchou began as a trainee and presenter at Radio Maendeleo, a popular local community radio station, and after volunteering for several years, entered the permanent reporting staff in 2002.

In the late 1990s, as Eastern Congo was overcome by violence, Chouchou turned her microphone into a potent weapon against the rampant violations of women’s human rights she saw taking place in her community. She gained a reputation as a journalist with expertise in women, health, and human rights. She also courageously denounced the corruption of mismanagement by public authorities.

In 2003 Chouchou founded the South Kivu’s Association of Women Journalists (“Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu” or “AFEM”) and assumed leadership of the Association as its president two years later. Chouchou has sought to perfect her technical skills by attending field trainings and searching for mentorship from experienced professionals, including foreign journalists.

With AFEM and through her radio broadcasts, Chouchou continues to shine a spotlight on women’s issues, especially in rural areas. She has also brought the plight of Congolese women to an international stage, recently traveling to the Hague in December 2007 to plead the case of Kivu’s women at the International Court of Justice, where she denounced without fear the impunity in which some major rebel leaders thrive and flourish. There is no question that the world will be hearing more from Chouchou in the years to come.

AFEM RECEIVES RISK AWARENESS TRAINING THANKS TO CPJ AND INSI

Early December, the Committee to Protect Journalists nominated AFEM to participate in an International News Safety Institute risk awareness/hostile environment training held in Bukavu. The training lasted four days (Dec. 18 to 19 and Jan. 21 to 22).

Four AFEM members participated.

1. Jolly Kamuntu, journalist and producer at Radio Mandeleo and Presdient of AFEM's Administrative counsel.

2. Solange Lusiku, editor-in-chief of the monthly newspaper Le Souveran and member of AFEM.

3. Franchou Namegabe, founding member and president of AFEM.

4. Julienne Baseke, Programming Director at AFEM