RSF discloses new findings on Martinez Zogo’s assassination

Reporters Without Borders, RSF on August 3, 2023, disclosed new exclusive testimonies on the circumstances surrounding the assassination of journalist Martinez Zogo

They revealed that they spoke with several members of the Cameroonian secret service commando involved in the death of journalist Martinez Zogo.

Three out of the 13 members of the Directorate General of Foreign Intelligence (DGRE) who participated in the operation that resulted in the death of Zogo were also interviewed one of which was Justin Danwe who still maintains that he acted on the orders of businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, to set up an operation to intimidate Martinez Zogo.

The RSF says they met with another in prison recently who revealed that they took turns in 10 days to monitor Zogo, 24 hours a day. Once kidnapped, Martinez Zogo was taken to Soa, a municipality bordering Yaoundé and it was in this locality, at nightfall, that the acts of torture against the journalist began. He was then transported to the Ekang building owned by Amougou Belinga.

“At first, the goal was not to kill him. At one point, I went to get him some water. When I came back, he had his ear cut off.” The acts of torture follow one another. They are of unprecedented violence: blows, mutilations, sexual abuse, skin of the soles of the feet torn off,”. One of the members of the Commando told RSF.

According to Justin Danwe’s testimony, on the 18 and 19, 48 hours after there is confusion AB is informed of the outcome of the operation. A video of the acts of torture is transmitted to him. What to do with the corpse? Who decides and what are the exchanges on this subject? After two days of hesitation and procrastination, the journalist’s body wrapped in aluminum foil is transported at night, to a wasteland, out of sight, to try to make it disappear with acid.

They stated that the two versions of facts now clash as it was established today in the investigation that the objective of this operation was not to kill the journalist while Justin Danwe reports that the order was given on the phone by the Keeper of the Seals Laurent Esso, to AB, one of his relatives, to “finish the work”.

They went on to highlight that several sources who had access to the judicial file deplore the absence of elements relating to the exploitation of the calls and messages sent by the businessman. And that of a security source very close to the file that leans rather towards a beating that would have degenerated.

Eights months after the assassination of Zogo, the only official charge against the fifteen suspects incarcerated, including AB in prison since last February, is that of “complicity of torture”.

A choice the RSF says quoted a source smells of “arrangement” and “Inexplicable,”.

RSF also stated that many people close to the file are now beginning to doubt the sincerity of the current investigation as some of them point to the absence of certain elements, which have disappeared or have not been transmitted like the telephone information in particular, which has not been included in the file several weeks after the start of the investigation.
with no indication that they are currently there.

To them, it is unthinkable that these telephone records essential to the manifestation of the truth were not made and doubt is beginning to settle on the real will of the authorities to establish the truth.

The Amplitude GM boss was killed in January, shortly after denouncing high profile businessmen, reaping Cameroon’s economy.