Call for investigation after brutal assault on DRC journalist

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year

KINSHASA—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an impartial investigation into the June 5 assault on broadcast journalist Tatiana Osango in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and insists those responsible be held accountable.

Seven men attacked Osango, a political program presenter on the YouTube-based news channel Reaco News, with glass bottles at a restaurant in Kinshasa. According to multiple reports and Osango herself, the men identified themselves as members of the Forces of Progress, a youth group claiming ties to the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). They claimed to be acting on orders from UDPS Secretary General Augustin Kabuya, retaliating for Osango's criticism of DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in a recent interview with opposition politician India Omari.

The interview focused on political developments and criticized Tshisekedi’s proposed constitutional amendments. Osango sustained a broken tooth, which required extraction, and leg injuries, necessitating the use of a crutch.

“This attack on broadcast journalist Tatiana Osango highlights the shocking violence journalists face in the DRC,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “A thorough investigation and accountability are crucial to ending this culture of violence against journalists in the DRC.”

Osango did not report the incident to the police, doubting they would investigate due to her critical reporting on the president and his party. The Forces of Progress have previously been implicated in violence, though Kabuya denied the group’s official existence within the party in December 2023.

CPJ's attempts to reach Kabuya, Kinshasa Police Chief Blaise Kilimbambalimba, and Information Minister Patrick Muyaya for comment were unsuccessful.

CPJ has documented a hostile environment for the press in the DRC, marked by physical attacks, arrests, and censorship. In September 2022, supporters of opposition politician Martin Fayulu assaulted Osango while she covered a parliamentary meeting in Kinshasa. Additionally, in April 2024, the DRC’s media regulatory body, CSAC, restricted coverage of rebel groups, a move criticized by media associations. In May, CSAC suspended the private channel Bosolo TV's program for a month following critical remarks by its host.