Press freedom group urges DRC authorities to cease threatening local journalists News
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Press freedom group urges DRC authorities to cease threatening local journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Tuesday to guarantee the safety of journalist Michael Tenende, who has reportedly received repeated threats from a local mayor after publishing critical reporting on her administration.

CPJ Africa director Angela Quintal emphasized the need for authorities to protect members of the press, stating that “Public officials in the DRC should support journalists who report on matters of public interest, not intimidate them.” Quintal also noted that Tenende has faced ongoing harassment from Anne-Marie Tshiabu, the mayor of Kabinda province, simply for carrying out his professional duties.

The threats date back to October 29, when Tenende received phone calls and text messages from Mayor Tshiabu after he published a report alleging that her official residence was unsanitary and posed a public health risk.

The situation escalated on November 12, when Tenende received another phone call from Tshiabu, who threatened him with imprisonment after he covered the evacuation of roadside vendors for two privately owned news outlets. According to CPJ, the incident was confirmed by both Tenende and an official from the National Press Union of Congo (UNPC), who spoke anonymously due to safety concerns.

Mayor Tshiabu, however, denied wrongdoing. She told CPJ that Tenende had collaborated with unnamed politicians to disseminate false information about local authorities and encourage tax evasion. She added that the matter constituted a security issue and that Tenende’s case had been referred to the national intelligence agency.

The allegations come amid a broader deterioration of press freedom and human rights in DRC, where an intensifying armed conflict and persistent reprisals against journalists and human rights defenders by both government officials and armed groups have created a hostile environment for independent media. In 2024, Tshiabu threatened reporter Martin Kasongo with arrest after he accused her on air of illegally collecting taxes from Kabinda province residents. In addition, Tenende has also faced direct interference on his show, which was interrupted mid-broadcast when a territorial inspector, accompanied by four men, forcibly entered the news station’s studio. In a separate incident, a local radio station in Mwene-Ditu was shut down on the mayor’s orders, and two journalists were detained after airing criticism of the province’s governance.

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