Democratic Republic of the Congo: analysis of the situation of human rights defenders who have criticised the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty

October 10, 2024

 

The report was co-signed by 56 organizations and institutions from 24 countries.

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.

 

CO-SIGNATORY ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS

  1. ACAT Allemagne
  2. ACAT Belgique
  3. ACAT Canada
  4. ACAT Congo
  5. ACAT Espagne-Catalogne
  6. ACAT France
  7. ACAT Ghana
  8. ACAT Luxembourg
  9. ACAT RCA
  10. ACAT RDC
  11. ACAT Suisse
  12. ACAT UK
  13. Adala « pour le droit à un procès équitable » 
  14. Agir ensemble pour les droits humains
  15. Amis des victimes des violations des droits humains (AVVDH)
  16. Association Haki Zangu
  17. Avocats sans frontières (ASF) Belgique
  18. Avocats sans frontières (ASF) France
  19. Barreau de Paris
  20. Coalition congolaise contre la peine de mort
  21. Coalition marocaine contre la peine de mort
  22. Coalition mondiale contre la peine de mort
  23. Coalition Tunisienne Contre la Peine de Mort (CTCPM)
  24. Comité Vietnam pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme
  25. Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide
  26. Culture pour la Paix
  27. Death Penalty Focus
  28. Dynamo International – Street Workers Network
  29. Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM)
  30. Europe-Central Africa network (EurAc)
  31. Fédération des Femmes pour le Développement Intégral au Congo (FEDICONGO)
  32. Fédération Internationale des ACAT (FIACAT)
  33. Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)
  34. Hands Off Cain
  35. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
  36. International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
  37. JusticeMakers Bangladesh en France (JMBF)
  38. Kenya Human Rights Commission
  39. Kurdistan without Genocide
  40. Lawyers for human rights international India
  41. Le Groupe LOTUS
  42. Observatoire international des avocats en danger
  43. Observatoire marocain des prisons
  44. Organisation Contre la Torture en Tunisie (OCTT)
  45. Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT)
  46. Pax Christi Uvira
  47. Protection internationale
  48. Regroupement des Mamans de Kamituga (REMAK)
  49. Relais Prison-Société
  50. Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (ROADDH)
  51. SIL LGBTQI+
  52. Solidarité avec les Victimes et pour la Paix (SOVIP)
  53. SOS Africaines en Danger
  54. Union internationale des avocats
  55. Vivere
  56. Women and Children Protection (WCP)
Attachments:
Download this file (Report on the abolitionnist HR defenders in DRC.pdf)Report on the abolitionnist HR defenders in DRC.pdf