Posts Tagged ‘Democratic Republic of Congo’
May 30, 2014
The Democratic Republic of Congo remains a terrible place for human rights defenders. These two recent events reported by Front Line make it abundantly clear:
1. Attempted murder of human rights defender Mr Leonard Lusimba
On 22 May 2014, human rights defender Mr Leonard Lusimba was shot in an attempted killing by a member of the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo – FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo). He underwent surgery on 25 May, and a second operation will be necessary in the coming days. Leonard Lusimba is the regional representative of Collectif d’Actions pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme – CADDHOM, an organisation which, since the 1990s, has worked to promote human rights and peace education in different regions of the DRC, in particular in the Eastern provinces of the country where a number of armed groups are still active.
[Over recent years, numerous Congolese human rights defenders have been killed as a result of targeted attacks. In the rare cases where serious investigations have been undertaken, they have often failed to lead to results, favouring impunity.]
2. Closure of the office of human rights organisation Solidarity for Social Advancement and Peace
On 21 May 2014, the Congolese human rights organisation Solidarité pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix – SOPROP (Solidarity for Social Development and Peace) was closed by the Direction Générale des Impôts – DGI in relation to an investigation into allegations of tax fraud. The DGI declared that it needed time to reach a compromise with SOPROP, and proposed a settlement to SOPROP of 20% of the amount it allegedly owed in unpaid taxes. SOPROP rejected the proposal on the grounds that there was no basis for the amount originally demanded. The same day, SOPROP brought a complaint to the local Prosecutor’s Office, which identified irregularities in the procedure and ordered that the medical centre be reopened. The office, however, remains sealed, and it is unknown when it will be reopened
[SOPROP is an organisation which, since its foundation in 1994, has supported victims of torture and other violence through medical, social and legal assistance. The organisation is also known for its activities in human rights education, particularly in schools, as well as for its investigations into human rights violations and corruption. In 2011, SOPROP had published a report on the corrupt practices of state companies in Kinshasa, which highlighted agencies of the DGI, amongst others.]
For previous posts on DRC: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/congo-drc/
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: anti corruption, CADDHOM, Civil society, closure, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Front Line (NGO), Human Rights Defenders, impunity, Leonard Lusimba, shooting, SOPROP
February 17, 2014
reports that on 12 February 2014, human rights defender Didier Kalemba addressed a formal complaint to the public prosecutor’s office in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection with a series of intimidatory acts that he has recently been subjected to. Didier Kalemba is a lawyer who has been acting as a protection officer for the Association Congolaise pour l’Accès à la Justice – ACAJ (Congolese Association for Access to Justice). His work mainly focuses on following up on cases of arbitrarily detained persons, particularly political prisoners or prisoners of conscience. Didier Kalemba received several calls from the same telephone number demanding him to halt his visits to the Ndolo military prison, or his family would regret his “stubbornness.”
[This is not the first time Didier Kalemba has received threats]
Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: ACAJ, Association Congolaise, congo drc, death threats, Democratic Republic of Congo, Didier Kalemba, DRC, formal complaint, Front Line (NGO), Human rights defender, human rights lawyer, intimidation, lawyer, prison visits
January 27, 2014
Protection International (PI) is looking for a Head of Office in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has been present since 2004, with a field office in South Kivu and soon in North Kivu. Must be French speaker. Deadline: 9 February. For more details see:
Appel à candidatures : Représentant international – Protection International Kinshasa, RD Congo | | Protection InternationalProtection International.
Posted in human rights, Protection International | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, field office, filed office, job opportunity, Kinshasa, NGO, PI, Protection International, Protection International Kinshasa, Protection InternationalProtection International, vacancy
December 21, 2013
The Brussels-based NGO ‘Protection International’ held a Global meeting, from 18 to 22 November 2013, bringing teams from the field and its Brussels headquarters together in Mombassa, Kenya. The meeting was an opportunity for teams from Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Thailand to exchange and compare their experiences, strategies and knowledge on security management and the protection of defenders. During the meeting topics were addressed such as the conceptual framework for research on community protection networks, the psychosocial care of human rights defenders, and the use of outcome mapping to strengthen the monitoring of the work done with communities and civil society organizations. The contents of a “Facilitators Guide on protection for human rights defenders” – to be published in early 2014 – was also discussed. [The Global Meeting follows an earlier Latin American Regional Meeting held in August in Guatemala]
via PI Global Meeting in Kenya: Strengthening Protection networks | | Protection InternationalProtection International.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Protection International | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, Brussels, civil society organisations, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Human Rights Defenders, international protection, Kenya, Latin America, meeting, Mombasa, NGO 'Protection International, PI, Protection International, psychosocial care, strategy, Thailand
December 16, 2013
On 16 December Amnesty International came out with a special report on the death threats and intimidation by armed groups and state security forces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo [North Kivu] over the past year have, with the aim of silencing human rights defenders, even after the defeat of M23. The report “Better to die while speaking the truth” details the heightened clampdown on human rights defenders by armed groups and the national security forces since the crisis escalated last 
year. “The whole population is vulnerable to human rights abuses in North Kivu and those speaking out to protect these people are deliberately targeted from all sides,” says Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, death threats, Democratic Republic of Congo, eastern congo, extrajudicial killings, harassment, human rights, human rights abuses, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, intimidation, North Kivu, paramilitary, Pascal Kabungulu, rape, Sarah Jackson, sexual abuse
October 17, 2013
As founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Denis Mukwege and his staff have treated over 30,000 survivors of sexual violence. The hospital not only addresses the immediate medical needs of survivors, but also provides legal and psycho-social services. Dr. Mukwege has received numerous awards for his tireless advocacy against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and for his courageous efforts to provide essential services to survivors of rape.
Human Rights First will honor Dr. Mukwege with its 2013 Human Rights Award, an honor dedicated to human rights defenders on the frontlines of the struggle for freedom. Physicians for Human Rights collaborates with Dr. Mukwege and the staff of Panzi Hospital to bolster local networks of collaboration among the health and legal communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to end impunity for sexual violence and support meaningful access to justice for survivors of these crimes.
Posted in HRF, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis Mukwege, HIV, human rights, human rights awards, Human rights defender, Human Rights First, human rights of women, medical profession, Mukwege, Panzi Hospital, Physicians for Human Rights, rape, reception, sexual violence, washington
September 26, 2013
Today were announced as the 2013 Right Livelihood Laureates:
Denis Mukwege (Democratic Republic of Congo) and
for more information see: http://www.rightlivelihood.org/
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis Mukwege, Hans Herren, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, media, Palestine, Paul Walker, Raji Sourani, Right Livelihood Award, Switzerland, United States
September 17, 2013
(Sister Angélique Namaika on her bicycle to visit the girls she helps in Dungu © UNHCR/ B. Sokol)
UNHCR announced today – 17 September – that the Nansen Refugee Award 2013 goes to Sister Angélique Namaika, who works in a remote north-east region of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with survivors of displacement and abuse by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Angélique Namaika, awards, Democratic Republic of Congo, democratic republic of the congo, displacement monitoring centre, Dungu, Geneva, human rights abuses, human rights awards, IDP, internal displacement, internal displacement monitoring centre, lords resistance army, LRA, Nansen Refugee Award, north eastern province, Uganda, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, woman human rights defender
August 14, 2013
Business Week reports on 14 August that rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Katanga province murdered a human-rights investigator who criticized their movement for committing abuses against civilians. Armed men from the secessionist Kata Katanga group [whose name means “cut out Katanga” in the Swahili language] forced their way into the victim’s house on 7 August before killing him, according to Scott Campbell, the director of the UN’s joint human-rights office in Congo. The UN mission, known as Monusco, wouldn’t release the victim’s name or organization for security reasons, Campbell said. “Monusco is gravely concerned by the arbitrary execution” of the activist, it said in a separate e-mailed statement that also called on Congolese authorities to protect human-rights defenders and their families. Almost 370,000 people have been displaced in the province as of July, mainly because of the violence, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
via Congo Rebels Execute Human-Rights Worker in Katanga Province – Businessweek.
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, arbitrary execution, Congo, congo rebels, death, Democratic Republic of Congo, human rights, Human rights defender, human rights investigators, Katanga, Katanga Province, killing, Monusco, rebel groups, republic of congo, United Nations, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
June 27, 2013
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday 27 June said there had been significant achievements since a historic human rights document was adopted in Vienna 20 years ago, but there have also been many setbacks and “the magnificent construction is still only half built.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: Democratic Republic of Congo, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, International Criminal Court, Navi Pillay, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Pillay, politics, Sarajevo, Vienna, Vienna +20 Conference
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 