The “murder weapons” are in Norway
When Furuholmen was in Kisangani Joshua and Tjostolv told him that the two weapons the prosecutors say they had with them in to Congo, is in fact in Norway. Lawyer Furuholmen has worked on this case, TV2s online newspaper had a piece on this, and it’s also been on the TV2 news. This is about the pistol and a softgun. The last weapon is according to the prosecutor the murder weapon. These weapons have never been in Congo.
The Support Accounts:
Our helpers in Congo have in their possession a mobile phone that the seaman’s priest purchased. They bring it with them to the prison when they’re there. Then the boys can call out. Joshua sent me a text message today to call him. Both Joshua’s girlfriend and I talked with him today. I’ll write more what we talked about under News about Joshua.
Over 667 000 has visited our website until now (before we changed our web-site address). What an engagement! What if everyone could give 10 NOK each to the support account “Inmate to Inmate”. Then it would have become more than 500 000 NOK!
I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to the boys’ accounts. We thank all of you who have made it possible for us to handle the financial burden we’ve had with this “Congo-case”.
Today there is 17 600 NOK on the support account “Inmate to Inmate”. Thank you to everyone who has given. We encourage the media who must have sold some extra papers because of this to give as well.
We also encourage prisoners in Norway to be a part of helping prisoners in Congo.
Other:
The British representative didn’t come today after all. He will be there tomorrow or Thursday according to what Joshua told me on the phone. The Foreign Ministry hasn’t told us if there will be a trial with Joshua this week or not. In regards to the Foreign Ministry, Furuhomen told them to make sure that the military don’t bring Tjostolv back to the prison as long as he is sick. It’s important to be ready for different scenarios.
Our Congolese helpers:
Before missionary Bregård left Kisangani in June, he organized so that four of his Congolese friends to take over the responsibilities he had done up until then on behalf of the families. It is things like shopping for food and other things they need, and get it into the prison etc. They are tired now. It’s not like in Norway where you can go to the supermarket and buy everything you need under one roof. Everything takes so much more time there. In addition to going to the prison to see Josh, they have to visit Tjostolv at the hospital as well. One of these helpers is in charge of the money we send. The other three have special permission from the prison authorities to go in to the prison. This of course costs money, the guards want their share, but that is the way of life in Congo.
News about Tjostolv:
Tjostolv managed to call one of his sisters today. At least he was on his feet. There was a bad connection, so there wasn’t much of a conversation, but there was at least a positive signs. Our contact in Kisangani is on a plane so he can’t tell us anything at the moment.
Mathilde Moland is going to Kisangani via Kampala on November 12th.
News about Joshua:
Today both I and Joshua’s girlfriend got to talk to him without to many distractions on the line. That was good. He told the Foreign Ministry on Saturday that he had malaria. The doctor was there yesterday. When we spoke to him today he still hadn’t got any medication. He was weak. When I write this now tonight we have learnt that he is on medication.
Joshua told me that there hasn’t been electricity in the prison for a few days, so he can’t listen to BBC in the evening. He also told me that the states attorney who was present at the first trial visited him in the cell. On Sunday it was the investigation leader Wawara whom visited him. The states attorney seemed to have changed a little in some of his perceptions, and they had a nice meeting. Yesterday Joshua had VG on a tour of the prison. We will probably read about this in VG soon.
Kari Hilde French October 27th
