The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today firmly condemned the murder of Bruno Koko Chirambiza who was killed on Sunday 23 August in Bukavu. The victim was a news presenter in Swahili at Radio Star, a private radio station based in Eastern town of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“We strongly condemn the murder of our colleague and demand that these attacks against the journalists in the East of the country be severely punished ,” declared Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office. “Violence against journalists in the East of DRC constitutes an attempt to intimidate and silence the press in this part of the country,” he added.

Bruno Koko Chirambizi, 24, was attacked by a group of eight armed men in the early hours of Sunday as he was returning from a wedding with a friend. He was chased and fatally stabbed twice in the thorax.  According to the local sources, his attackers nothing from him and his friend was only punched once. This suggests that Bruno was the target of the attack.

His murder adds to the list of journalists killed in Bukavu, Eastern DRC after Didace Namujimbo, journalist of Radio Okapi who was assassinated in November 2008 and fellow Okapi journalists Serge Maheshe shot dead in June 2007.

Bruno’s was also condemned by the Congolese Minister  of Communication and government’s spokesperson , Mr. Lambert Mendé Omalanga, who urged the police to “ redouble their efforts to arrest quickly these enemies of peace”.

IFJ calls on Congolese authorities to launch urgently an inquiry into this murder to identify and punish severely Bruno’s killers and those who ordered his murder. It further urges the government to ensure that journalists who have long been victims of violence are able to work freely and in safety in the East of the country.

For more information contact the IFJ at +221 33 867 95 87

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide