Claude Peru Luwara, a Congolese refugee in Belgium, is in hospital after undergoing a third violent attack in an attempt to silence him.
Conglese journalist and commentator Claude Peru Luwara has once again been attacked by masked men in Tienen. It is the second attack against the journalist in Tienen, where he lives, and the third against him in Belgium.
Yesterdy evenings, three men wearing hoods and scarves over their faces struck Luwara in the head with a hammer. He was seriously injured and taken to hospital. “They repeatedly struck the man on the head,” said a man who witnessed the attach on the town’s Grote Markt. “He had absolutely no chance of seeing the attack coming. Afterwards, all three of them ran away.”
This was attempted murder. We’re still shaking.
Witness to attack on Luwara
Witnesses to the violent attack tried to stop the bleeding until emergency services arrived. Police and medics arrived quickly on the scene. “It was really shocking to see how violent the attackers were. This was attempted murder. We’re still shaking. You see something like that in a movie, but not right in front of your eyes on the Market Square in Tienen.”
Luwara, 44, has lived in Belgium for several years as a refugee, having fled Congo due to threats against him for his outspoken criticism of president Félix Tshisekedi. Via his YouTube channel and other outlets, such as TV5MONDE, he talks about his home country, which he says has become a dictatorship.
According to reports, the Congolese government has offered €4 million for “information” about Luwara. He was also beaten in the street by masked men in Tienen last summer. In June, four men were convicted, receiving sentences of three to four years in prison.
Talking to VTM News following the court hearing, Luwara revealed that he had also been attacked this year in Louvain-la-Neuve. The judge in the case stated that the perpetrators were motivated by political reasons.
“Exporting regime abroad”
“I am glad that the Belgian justice system recognised that I am not only in danger but that this is about an international operation,” Luwara told VTM. “Today Congo is a dictatorship. President Tshisekedi, who spent most of his life in Belgium, has turned it into a tyranny. Anyone who doesn’t agree with him, who are critical, are fleeing the country. And now he is exporting this dictatorial regime abroad, to here, where we have sought safety.”
The Leuven public prosecutor’s office stated that the victim is in stable condition and that police are seeking the suspects. Security camera footage from in and around the Grote Markt may provide useful leads for the investigation.