The Union Nationale de la Presse du Congo (UNPC) reacted on Thursday to the decision by the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication (CSAC) to suspend media coverage of the activities of the Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD) and its members throughout the country. By Act Number 006/B/06/025 of June 2, 2025, the CSAC suspended, as a precautionary measure, media coverage of the activities of the Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD) and its members for a period of 90 days throughout the country. Its president, Christian Bosembe, had even said that it was forbidden to mention Joseph Kabila’s name on a popular Kinshasa radio program.

In an official statement signed by its president Kamanda wa Kamanda Muzembe, the UNPC expresses its “serious reservations” about what it describes as an authoritarian drift, denouncing unilateral regulation that seriously compromises freedom of expression and the press in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The self-regulatory organization of professional journalists stresses that media regulation is first and foremost a philosophical principle based on freedom. It specifies that regulation cannot be preventive or arbitrary, but must intervene in a posteriori and not a priori, to remain in line with democratic standards.

“A priori regulation is censorship without a name. Journalists and the media cannot put up with censorship and the resulting inquisition”, declares the UNPC.

The press release questions the role that the CSAC seems to want to take on, that of hindering press freedom by assimilating journalists to dangerous actors. Such a position, according to the UNPC, runs counter to the national drive for cohesion and peace, particularly at a time when the DRC is facing serious security crises, especially in the east of the country.

“Why should the media and journalists be seen as carriers of arms and ammunition, when they are often the only witnesses to the tragedies that befall our compatriots?” asks the organization.

Refusing to hand over journalists “to the fury of a maximalist approach”, the UNPC calls on the CSAC to show discernment. The organization calls for balanced regulation, respectful of fundamental rights and adapted to democratic imperatives.

She also urged media professionals to show restraint and professionalism, recalling the importance of their role in defending the truth, territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Written by Noé Kalemeko