Journalist en danger (JED) is an independent and non partisan organisation created in Kinshasa from the initiative of a group of Congolese journalists (DRCongo) and dedicated to the defence and promotion of the press freedom, first in the DRC and then since May 2003, in the eight other central African countries covered by the “Organisation des medias d’Afrique Centrale” (OMAC), the social hall of which is located in Bujumbura, capitol of Burundi. The eight other countries over which extents JED’S mandate read as follows: Burundi, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda and Thad.
JED is not a corporatist’s association reserved solely to journalists. It is rather a wholly independent and open structure to all those who feel like having a vocation to defend and promote their right to inform and to be informed freely without any restriction whatsoever. It is all about a non lucrative association which was born in Kinshasa on 20 November 1998. Conforming to the Congolese legislation pertaining to the ASBL (association sans buit lucratif), JED is registered to the cults and associations direction of the ministry of Justice under the number F. 92/5337 (see letter no JUST.S.G. 20/052/99 of 02 February 1999). JED was born from the concern grown by the founders’ notice according to which, some where in our society, every now and then, a press pen was broken, and the press freedom was being violated with impunity. Also was it noticed that, most often than not, journalists were victims of unfair Justice. Each holder of some fragment of political, economic or military power more and more does justice to themselves whenever the press speech or script, does not agree with them. The journalist is sent to jail as often as the person so far offended will want it. The media in question is simply prohibited. The Justice that ought to play the referee proves to be wholly subdued to Politics and Money. It looks funny that Justice has become the helper of those who do not tolerate the least criticism or contradiction.
JED is working daily in order to:
- Watch out on the press freedom on the nine central African countries of the region by monitoring and investigating into cases on the ground;
- carry out protestation actions(by writing letters or alerts) and lobbying ones to persons responsible of breaches in the press freedom in an attempt to stop those violations in each of the countries so far referred to and/or obtain reparation;
- pay visit weekly to imprisoned journalists;
- grant(directly or indirectly) some amount of money for assistance, to the murdered and jailed journalists’ families, owing to the exercise of their profession;
- provide legal assistance to journalists and medias, expected by courts and tribunals for hearing and trial for simply doing their job;
- keep an eye on trials against journalists and medias;
- take part in studies related to the improvement of economic, political and legal scope of the press freedom’s exercise;
- release annual reports either on the press freedom or on specific themes related to current news, alone or with partners;
- organise workshops, conferences, seminars on issues related to rules of professional ethics and how to treat news;
- publish a magazine entitled “Plume et Liberté”
For better actions and improvement in the things, since its creation, JED has been managing to be fully involved in the world network of organisations for the defence and promotion of the press freedom, for democracy and development as well. And as such, JED is member of IFEX (International freedom of expression exchange), the greatest world network of defenders of the expression freedom. JED is also, member of the international network, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF), a world reference; in as far as the defence of the expression freedom is concerned. Also is JED working hand in hand with other prestigious organisations such as the “Committee to Protect Journalists” (CPJ/New York), Human Right Watch, Amnesty International, Media Institute for Southern Africa, Article 9, the “La Fédération Internationale des jouirnalistes (FIJ)” as well as specialised agencies in the defence of the human rights of the United Nations systems.
