(Kinshasa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo government’s decisions about its next presidential election will be critical for the country’s future, Legal Link International said in a report released today.
The report summarizes Legal Link international research over the past two years in which the government cracked down on activists and opposition party leaders and members who have opposed extending Joseph Kabila’s presidency beyond the constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ends on December 19, 2016. It also includes recommendations to deter further abuses and prevent a broader crisis in the coming weeks and months.
A government-led “national dialogue” is due to present its final agreement in the coming days. Most of the main opposition parties have not participated in the process, viewing it as a ploy to delay elections and allow President Kabila to stay in power. Activists and opposition groups have called for nationwide protests beginning on September 19, three months before the end of Kabila’s term and when the electoral commission was constitutionally required to announce presidential elections.
Government repression has spiked in the days leading up to the planned protests. In the capital, Kinshasa, about a dozen pro-democracy youth activists were arrested following a meeting, on September 15, on non-violence, peace, and respect of the constitution. They are being held by the national intelligence agency (NIA), without charge and without access to their families or lawyers.
On September 16, police in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi fired teargas and, later, live bullets to disperse opposition party members who were meeting to prepare the September 19 protests. Some meeting participants responded by throwing rocks, burning tires, blocking the roads, and looting several shops and offices. Dozens were arrested early the next morning.
On September 17, police and intelligence agents arrested human rights activist, Patrick Pindu, at his home in Kinshasa soon after he participated in a civil society meeting and press conference on elections. He was released the next day without charge on the condition that he report to the intelligence agency every 15 days.
To help deter violence, government officials and security forces should respect people’s right to freedom of expression and assembly and allow peaceful demonstrations and political meetings to go forward.
“The decisions President Kabila and his government will make in the coming weeks can make all the difference for Congo’s future,” said Kiggundu Henry, director legal affairs and investgations at Legal Link International. “This is a critical opportunity for the country to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and human rights for its own future and for the entire region.”
For full List of political prisoners and the report
Contact: homerulers@myway.com
Monday, 17 October 2016
Democratic Republic of Congo at a Precipice
(Kinshasa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo government’s decisions about its next presidential election will be critical for the country’s future, Legal Link International said in a report released today.
The report summarizes Legal Link international research over the past two years in which the government cracked down on activists and opposition party leaders and members who have opposed extending Joseph Kabila’s presidency beyond the constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ends on December 19, 2016. It also includes recommendations to deter further abuses and prevent a broader crisis in the coming weeks and months.
A government-led “national dialogue” is due to present its final agreement in the coming days. Most of the main opposition parties have not participated in the process, viewing it as a ploy to delay elections and allow President Kabila to stay in power. Activists and opposition groups have called for nationwide protests beginning on September 19, three months before the end of Kabila’s term and when the electoral commission was constitutionally required to announce presidential elections.
Government repression has spiked in the days leading up to the planned protests. In the capital, Kinshasa, about a dozen pro-democracy youth activists were arrested following a meeting, on September 15, on non-violence, peace, and respect of the constitution. They are being held by the national intelligence agency (NIA), without charge and without access to their families or lawyers.
On September 16, police in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi fired teargas and, later, live bullets to disperse opposition party members who were meeting to prepare the September 19 protests. Some meeting participants responded by throwing rocks, burning tires, blocking the roads, and looting several shops and offices. Dozens were arrested early the next morning.
On September 17, police and intelligence agents arrested human rights activist, Patrick Pindu, at his home in Kinshasa soon after he participated in a civil society meeting and press conference on elections. He was released the next day without charge on the condition that he report to the intelligence agency every 15 days.
To help deter violence, government officials and security forces should respect people’s right to freedom of expression and assembly and allow peaceful demonstrations and political meetings to go forward.
“The decisions President Kabila and his government will make in the coming weeks can make all the difference for Congo’s future,” said Kiggundu Henry, director legal affairs and investgations at Legal Link International. “This is a critical opportunity for the country to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and human rights for its own future and for the entire region.”
For full List of political prisoners and the report
Contact: homerulers@myway.com
:+256 414 69 3 438
The report summarizes Legal Link international research over the past two years in which the government cracked down on activists and opposition party leaders and members who have opposed extending Joseph Kabila’s presidency beyond the constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ends on December 19, 2016. It also includes recommendations to deter further abuses and prevent a broader crisis in the coming weeks and months.
A government-led “national dialogue” is due to present its final agreement in the coming days. Most of the main opposition parties have not participated in the process, viewing it as a ploy to delay elections and allow President Kabila to stay in power. Activists and opposition groups have called for nationwide protests beginning on September 19, three months before the end of Kabila’s term and when the electoral commission was constitutionally required to announce presidential elections.
Government repression has spiked in the days leading up to the planned protests. In the capital, Kinshasa, about a dozen pro-democracy youth activists were arrested following a meeting, on September 15, on non-violence, peace, and respect of the constitution. They are being held by the national intelligence agency (NIA), without charge and without access to their families or lawyers.
On September 16, police in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi fired teargas and, later, live bullets to disperse opposition party members who were meeting to prepare the September 19 protests. Some meeting participants responded by throwing rocks, burning tires, blocking the roads, and looting several shops and offices. Dozens were arrested early the next morning.
On September 17, police and intelligence agents arrested human rights activist, Patrick Pindu, at his home in Kinshasa soon after he participated in a civil society meeting and press conference on elections. He was released the next day without charge on the condition that he report to the intelligence agency every 15 days.
To help deter violence, government officials and security forces should respect people’s right to freedom of expression and assembly and allow peaceful demonstrations and political meetings to go forward.
“The decisions President Kabila and his government will make in the coming weeks can make all the difference for Congo’s future,” said Kiggundu Henry, director legal affairs and investgations at Legal Link International. “This is a critical opportunity for the country to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and human rights for its own future and for the entire region.”
For full List of political prisoners and the report
Contact: homerulers@myway.com
:+256 414 69 3 438
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Kenya: Disappearances, Deaths in Northeast by Security Agencies
Nairobi — Kenyan
security forces have forcibly disappeared at least 34 people in the past
two years during abusive counterterrorism operations in Nairobi and in
northeastern Kenya, Legal Link International investigated and released a report today.
Kenyan authorities should end the abuses in counter terrorism operations
and promptly investigate the enforced disappearances and deaths of
detainees in the northeast.
The 87-page
report, "Deaths and Disappearances: Abuses in Counterterrorism
Operations in Nairobi and in Northeastern Kenya," documents 34 instances
in multi-agency security operations in which the military was actively
involved in raiding homes and compounds to arrest people who were
allegedly suspected of links with the armed Islamist group, Al-Shabab.
But months, and in some cases over a year, later, suspects have not been
charged with any crimes and families cannot locate them. In each case,
although families reported the disappearance to the police and sought
help from various authorities, the authorities failed to inform them of
the detainees' whereabouts or to properly investigate allegations of
abuse.
"People in
northeastern Kenya deserve protection from Al-Shabab attacks, not
further abuse from the authorities," said Kiggundu Henry,Director Legal Affairs and investigations at Legal Link International. "Rounding people up and refusing to disclose
their whereabouts is a serious crime and only compounds fears and
mistrust in the security forces."
Legal Link International spent more than eight months investigating the abuses in Nairobi and in
the northeastern counties of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, and
interviewed 117 people including victims and witnesses of counter terrorism operations, Imams, government officials, journalists,
lawyers, human rights activists, police and military officers, and local
community leaders. Legal Link International also conducted follow-up
interviews in Nairobi and by phone with victims and witnesses in the
northeast.
Concern for the
well-being of the 34 people is compounded by at least 11 cases in the
past two years in which dead bodies of people previously arrested by
state agents have been found, in some instances far from the location of
their arrest. As far as Legal Link Interanational is aware, police have not
meaningfully investigated these deaths. In one instance, a body was
exhumed in Mandera in response to public demands, but the government has
not conducted an inquest or any meaningful investigations as required
by Kenyan law.
Legal Link International found that those arbitrarily arrested during the security sweeps
included young ethnic Somali Kenyans, Imams, and Islamic school
teachers. They were detained, at least initially, in military bases and
makeshift military camps in forests in the northeast and other parts of
the country. In some cases, police officers arrested people, and then
handed them over to the military.
Deaths and Disappearances
A 48-year-old man
told us that police arrested him in May 2015, held him
for two days at Wajir police station and then transferred him to Wajir
military base. He said that military officers later arrested his elder
brother and held them both at Wajir military base. The military officers
kicked, slapped, and beat the man, and gave him electric shocks, then
released him after 15 days. His brother's whereabouts are unknown.
In another case, on
March 21, 2015, four military officers arrested Abdiwelli Ibrahim
Sheikh, 28, at home and witnesses saw military officers take him to
Mandera military camp. He has not been seen again. "The security
officers said they wanted to ask him a few questions and then they would
set him free," said a 50-year-old man who was with Abdiwelli at the
time of his arrest. "We never knew he was being taken away for good."
Families have
searched far and wide for news about their loved ones, including in
detention facilities, asked political and religious leaders for their
help, and, in some cases, turned to social media to try to locate the
missing relatives. Some families filed habeas corpus petitions, seeking a
court order to compel the government to provide information. Officials,
however, have denied any knowledge of the detainees' whereabouts.
"If Kenyans are
disappearing, police have the mandate to actively work with families and
witnesses to locate these people," Kiggundu said. "The government's silence
speaks volumes."
Counterterrorism
law enforcement operations in northeast started soon after the September
2013 attack on Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, but
intensified after the April 2015 attack on Garissa University College,
in which 147 people, including 142 students, were killed. Al-Shabab
claimed responsibility for both attacks. Al-Shabab has claimed
responsibility for several other high profile attacks in Kenya,
including in the northeast region.
In response to
these attacks, the Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya police, National
Intelligence Service, and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers have
deployed to the northeastern region, in some cases working with other
units in Nairobi.
Legal Link International believes that the 34 people are victims of enforced disappearance,
defined in international law as any deprivation of liberty by state
agents, followed by the state's refusal to acknowledge the detention or
concealing of the fate or whereabouts of the person. Kenya police and
military did not reply to our questions about the
whereabouts of the 34 people.
There is no doubt
that Kenya faces serious security challenges, but the authorities have
an obligation to respond effectively and respect due process in any law
enforcement operation
Government action
to address abuses in counter terrorism operations is long overdue, Kiggundu said. The government should provide basic information
regarding the identities, fate, and whereabouts of people arrested in
these operations, and ensure basic due process rights for anyone who is
arrested or in custody.
The Kenyan police
and military should urgently investigate allegations of disappearances,
deaths and torture in the northeast, and bring those responsible to
justice. The president should establish a special commission of inquiry
to investigate and establish the extent of the abuses in Kenya's
counterterrorism operations.
"There is no doubt
that Kenya faces serious security challenges, but the authorities have
an obligation to respond effectively and respect due process in any law
enforcement operation," Kiggundu said. "The disappearances and
uninvestigated deaths in the northeast are illegal and risk alienating
local communities, whose cooperation is needed."
Selected accounts from people interviewed for the report:
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