In the media yesterday we could read headlines like: “Moland and French wanted to buy a weapon in prison” and “Planned to escape”. The problem with headlines like this is that many people just glance at the headlines and then they are left with the impression that the boys are on the run.
If they kept reading they would’ve found out that this is what the Congolese claim, while the boys have a totally different explanation. It’s not the first time Congolese authorities have accused several people for things they haven’t done, nor would ever dream of doing. For example, Christian Larssen from the Foreign Ministry was accused last year of planning to help the two Norwegians escape. If I remember correctly, he supposedly planned to climb over the tall prison walls. Lawyer Marius Dietrichson was also accused of trying to climb over the wall to poison Tjostolv. Headlines are important, and I’ve wondered over the last 15 months why the media often choose headlines that sell, rather than headlines that show what possibly happened. Why didn’t the media for example use the headline I choose: “Inmate takes revenge”, or something like that? What’s happened shows that even though the two Norwegians have gained a lot of respect and a high social status in prison, and have chosen to do good for their inmates, there is not much that needs to happen to turn this around and get dangerous. So it’s important that representatives from the Foreign Ministry/the embassy visits them frequently to show that Norwegian authorities keep an eye on what happens to their citizens. There hasn’t been a representative in Kisangani for a long time. I’ve contacted the Foreign Ministry several times and asked them when someone would go to Kisangani, but they don’t know. It’s important that they do it now. I’ve also asked the Foreign Ministry other questions regarding this case that I haven’t gotten an answer to yet. The prisoner who was seeking revenge when confronted with the theft of the dollars, which were going to pay for medication for prisoners, is someone who has benefited well from the boys’ generosity. This thief’s false accusations hit Tjostolv the most. He suffered ill treatment. Josh got rather quickly back to his cell after the interrogation. Several of us wonder if the incident is a plan setup by the authorities now, right before the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Department starts their talks/negotiations with Congolese authorities, or if this I just a coincidence.
Kari Hilde French, August 28th 2010
