Goma – A Congolese lawmaker who was arrested on suspicion of inciting disobedience to tough security laws has been released, a day after being held, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday.
Josue Mufula, an ally of former president Joseph Kabila, was arrested on Tuesday aboard a plane that was about to take off from Goma in North Kivu province on a flight to the capital Kinshasa.
“He left his cell” in the afternoon, Mufula’s attorney, Elie Katumwa, told AFP.
No conditions were set by a military court where he appeared late Tuesday, and “his movements are unhindered”, Katumwa said.
Mufula’s lawyers contested the right of the court to try him given his status as a national MP, a move that prompted an adjournment until Friday.
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Mufula is an MP for Goma, where another provincial deputy was arrested on Sunday in similar circumstances.
Prosecutors accused Mufula of inciting disobedience by passing out leaflets at the weekend reading “bye bye state of siege”, and of insulting the security forces.
The “state of siege” refers to measures imposed last year in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province.
The government forced out senior civilian officials and replaced them with army or police officers, with the declared aim of boosting a campaign against armed groups in the troubled region.
However, the measure has failed to stem attacks.
“I was taken off my flight, I don’t know why… military terror reigns,” Mufula said in an audio message sent to journalists on Tuesday.
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Source: AFP
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