Kalala Mbenga Kalao was arrested and reportedly beaten on 25 August 1993 in Lemba district, Kinshasa, by members of the Civil Guard. He was subsequently transferred to a detention centre of the Service d’action et de renseignements militaires (SARM), Military Action and Intelligence Service. Conditions there are thought to be harsh. His state of health is unknown, as he is being held incommunicado. He has not been charged with any offence nor referred to a magistrate. He is the editor of a column known as “Nation” in Tempete des tropiques, an opposition newspaper.
