Martin Fayulu demands rights for Prince Epenge in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
Martin Fayulu, president of ECIDé, is calling for the rights of Congolese opposition figure Prince Epenge to be respected after his transfer to the Kinshasa prosecutor’s office following two days in detention. The Lamuka spokesperson is being prosecuted for spreading false rumours linked to the death of an ADD Congo official, according to Actualité.cd.
ECIDé president Martin Fayulu Madidi is demanding respect for the fundamental rights of Prince Epenge, president of the ADD Congo party and spokesperson for the Lamuka coalition, who was detained after his arrest at N’djili International Airport. Fayulu made the demand on Thursday 29 October on the social media platform X, according to Actualité.cd.
Prince Epenge was transferred on Tuesday to the prosecutor’s office attached to the Kinshasa/Gombe High Court after spending 48 hours at the National Cyberdefence Council, according to Actualité.cd sources. He is being prosecuted for spreading false rumours in connection with the death of Manassé Lomboto, head of security for ADD Congo, who was killed on 15 September during an opposition march in Kinshasa.
Martin Fayulu is calling for an independent investigation into Manassé Lomboto’s death and wants the justice system also to examine the complaint filed by C64 lawyers, the Article 64 Coalition for the Defence of the Constitutional Order. He rejects the designation of Prince Epenge as “the scapegoat” and is demanding that individual criminal responsibility, including at hierarchical and operational levels, be established without political pressure.
Prince Epenge’s passport, confiscated by the Directorate-General of Migration, had still not been returned to him on Thursday, according to Actualité.cd. The opposition figure’s arrest on 25 October was followed by a call for his release from the C64 coalition, before it proposed on 27 October a meeting between Félix Tshisekedi and Joseph Kabila as part of its political efforts.
