When you think about the fact that the Norwegian media knew already in August that the two weapons that the prosecution says that Tjostolv and Joshua brought with them to Congo, was in Norway the whole time, it’s discouraging that none of them have tried to find out more about this. First when Furuholmen got involved and got help from TV2 it showed how easy it was to find out where they were. One of them was the “murder weapon”. Think if the journalists were just as eager to find out things like these as well! It may not be as interesting as other bulletins, but very important for the two who sits there with five death sentences each in prison in Congo. But I guess the ratings count more.
The support accounts:
On TV2s online newspaper today we can read about 24 year old Linda Røed. She sells clothes and other things on Finn.no to collect money to help the boys. She especially wants a psychiatric to go down there to help Tjostolv. Thank you Linda.
Joshua’s sister has written a little more about what the money from the support accounts are being used on.
Under the rubric “Inmate to Inmate” you can find how much money has come in till today.
With so many visitors on the website we really hope that there can be a lot of money to help prisoners in need.
The medical report about Tjostolv is supposed to be presented today. We have no information about this at the moment.
News about Tjostolv:
According to what Joshua has heard, Tjostolv is doing a little better physically. He eats and sleeps. Mentally he is still out there. Tjostolv called his father today, but he just spoke nonsense. Apparently he is to be present in court tomorrow.
News about Joshua:
We spoke a little to Joshua on the phone today as well. We spoke a little about the weapons that are “found” in Norway. He said that the media has known about this for a long time, but have shown no interest in finding more info about it. He is feeling better physically today, after starting with malaria medicine yesterday, but he seemed depressed. When I spoke to him it was still not for sure that there would be a trial tomorrow or not. “Am I going to stand there only with VG-net?” Tonight there seems that the trial will start again tomorrow with both of them there. As we have written before VG has been at the hospital with investigator Wawara to visit Tjostolv. They have paid for this. That’s the way it works in Congo. Joshua told me that he normally gets one visit a day from the Foreign Office. The representative being there now has on a few occasions come twice a day. Joshua doesn’t know much about what’s going on outside the prison. The local attorney Likwela has not come so often to visit, but was there this afternoon. We have been advised that the medicine that Joshua gets now should be combined with another malaria medicine. We have told the Foreign Office about this.
Kari Hilde French, October 28th 2009
