NGO report

Report on the situation of abolitionist human rights defenders in Democratic Republic of the Congo

By International Federation of ACATs (FIACAT), on 10 October 2024

Moratorium


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On February 9, 2024, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lifted the moratorium on executions that had been in place since 2003. This decision comes amid a deteriorating security situation in the eastern part of the country and increasing restrictions on civic space. Since the moratorium was lifted, human rights defenders who publicly oppose this decision have faced heightened repression from Congolese authorities. This note documents the violations suffered by these defenders in several provinces of the country, including:

– death threats and acts of physical violence;
– arbitrary arrests and detentions;
– baseless accusations and fabricated judicial proceedings;
– violations of property rights and freedom of movement;
– harassment targeting their relatives and collaborators.

These violations are mainly perpetrated by agents of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), the Military Detection of Unpatriotic Activities (Démiap), and security forces. The impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators allows this repression to continue.

This note also highlights the considerable impact that the criminalization of defenders has on their living conditions and those of their families, including:

– the inability to continue their activities due to fear of reprisals;
– economic and social consequences (loss of employment, marginalization);
– disruption of family life (forced relocations, separations);
– forced exile for some particularly threatened defenders.

The growing phenomenon of repression described in this note is part of a broader context of civic space restrictions in the DRC, exacerbated by the state of siege in place in some eastern provinces. This repression risks having a significant deterrent effect on the entire abolitionist movement and, more broadly, on any form of opposition to the government.




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