Despite protests demanding for his release, the Congolese journalist Stanis Bujakera, remains in prison. The court has once again rejected a request for his release from detention and provisional liberty, fearing that he might go on the run.
DRC: journalist Stanis Bujakera still in custody
Members of the press demonstrate in Kinshasa calling for the release of the detained Stanis Bujakera
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Cleared
Stanis Bujakera, who works for Reuters and Jeune Afrique magazine, was detained on September 8 and transferred to prison less than a week later on suspicion of spreading false information.
His arrest followed a Jeune Afrique article published in late August, which suggested that Congolese military intelligence had killed opposition politician Cherubin Okende the month before.
The article -- which was unsigned -- was based on an alleged confidential memo from a separate intelligence agency. Congolese authorities have said the memo is a fake.
Bujakera's trial began on Friday inside the Makala prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, according to an AFP reporter present.
The 33-year-old's lawyers successfully petitioned the court on Friday to delay the proceedings by one week in order to better prepare their case.