DRC: RSF calls on authorities to shed light on the murder of journalist Patrick Adonis Numbi
Eight men have been sentenced to death for the murder of Congolese journalist Patrick Adonis Numbi, whose lifeless, mutilated body was found in the city of Lubumbashi on 7 January. Yet the situation remains opaque, and no motive for the crime has been communicated. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to carry out the full investigation to clarify the circumstances of this atrocious murder and ensure all responsible parties are brought to justice.
A verdict was reached less than a month after the journalist was found, yet the investigation continues as the horrific murder of journalist Patrick Adonis Numbi remains partially unsolved. On 3 February, eight of the eleven defendants on trial for the murder — all of them men — were found guilty and sentenced to death, while the three remaining defendants — all women — were sentenced to two years in prison for aiding the perpetrators. However, neither the motive for the crime nor the identity of every individual responsible has been established.
The body of Patrick Adonis Numbi, co-founder and director of local television station Pamoja TV, was discovered on the night of 7 January at a bus terminal in Lubumbashi, the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He bore the marks of four machete blows to the head and several stab wounds to the ribs. One of his eyes had popped out of its socket, and his left arm was broken. “In the local culture, such mutilations are generally a sign of punishment,” a fellow journalist, who remains anonymous for safety reasons, told RSF.
The journalist was returning from filming a report on the illegal seizure of a section of the river near Lake Kipopo in Lubumbashi on the day of his death, according to another journalist. His two cameras, computer and telephone — which he had on his person — were stolen on the night of his murder and have still not been found.
The conclusion of the trial into the murder of journalist Patrick Adonis Numbi still leaves many questions unanswered, particularly concerning the motive for the crime and the potential involvement of other individuals. RSF calls on the authorities to pursue their investigation to its logical end and to explore all potential motives — especially the possibility that the crime was linked to his journalistic work — in order to establish the whole truth and bring all those responsible to justice.
Journalists threatened for protesting the murder
The day after the journalist's murder, the Haut-Katanga section of the Congolese National Press Union (UNPC) organised a march to pay tribute to Patrick Adonis Numbi and protest the city’s lack of security, particularly for journalists. In the days that followed, several journalists who took part in the march received anonymous death threats, ordering them not to speak out on the case.
The DRC is one of the most dangerous countries on the African continent for journalists. Between arrests, detentions, assaults, threats, enforced disappearances, murders, suspended broadcasting and newsroom raids, their safety is under constant threat.
