Reuters correspondent and international journalist Stanis Bujakera spent a third night in police custody at the Kinshasa Provincial Police Station.
Bujakera is being charged with the offense of publication of false information in the case of the assassination of former Transport Minister Cherubin Okende who was killed earlier this year.
On Sunday, Bujakera could not be interrogated as members commissioned to preside over the Okende murder case arrived five hours late, an alleged deliberate move to keep the accused in detention even over the prescribed mandatory 48 hours.
Bujakera was interrogated for two hours and his lawyers revealed that their client would not be released as the prosecution team had not arrived at a decision.
“It’s a Sunday, we should have expected him to spend another night in detention,” explained Mr. Grace Tshiashala.
“We will have the rest tomorrow, it is a working day, the prosecution will have to rule and decide whether to keep him in detention or whether to release him. We remain calm.”
The international community including United States, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Belgium as well as European Union have expressed concern over the arrest of Bujakera and recalled the importance of press freedom in a democracy.
