6 October 2014

This response was modified for publication on ecoi.net.

 

The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides, OFPRA) mentions in an April 2014 report on a fact-finding mission conducted in June and July 2013 that members of the UDPS believe their party and its supporters (“militants”) are repressed even today. They are considered by the authorities to be “troublemakers”. Although regular party meetings are still held, all activities are involving risks, according to officials of the UDPS. UDPS members claim that the regime does not want a democratic culture to develop. The tactic of the regime consists of sending the police to prevent assemblies of the UDPS or “instructors” in civilian clothes for infiltration of the UDPS. UDPS contacts claim they have to cope with the fear each day and feel threatened but wish to continue their activism. They claim to be at risk of “clubbing” if they hold public meetings. The authorities (“le pouvoir”) try to evoke permanent fear in the opposition:

“Nos interlocuteurs de l’UDPS estiment que leur parti et leurs militants continuent, aujourd’hui encore, à être réprimés. Ils sont considérés par les autorités comme des ‘trouble-fêtes’. Dans ce contexte, bien que les réunions régulières du parti continuent à se tenir, toute activité militante comporte un risque d’après les responsables de l’UDPS. […] Il [le régime] ne souhaite pas que la culture démocratique se développe. La technique du régime consiste à envoyer soit des policiers pour en empêcher la tenue, soit des ‘instructeurs’ en tenue civile (des policiers) pour les infiltrer. Un interlocuteur de l’UDPS résume la situation : ‘nous sommes toujours à la merci de la police à chacune de nos activités militantes’. Les interlocuteurs affirment ainsi devoir chaque jour maîtriser la peur, se sentant en effet menacés mais souhaitant continuer à militer. Ils expliquent risquer continuellement d’être ‘matraqués’ en cas de réunions publiques. Selon eux, le pouvoir cherche à susciter la crainte de manière perpétuelle dans le camp de l’opposition.” (OFPRA, April 2014, p. 56)

Some interviewed persons for the fact-finding mission report say persecution is continuing while others say there has been persecution in 2011 but not today. All sources confirm the severity of persecution against the UDPS in the period of the election:

“La situation n’est pas la même selon les interlocuteurs : certains estiment que les persécutions ont toujours cours aujourd’hui (1), alors que d’autres considèrent qu’elles se sont exercées durant la campagne de 2011 et n’ont plus lieu aujourd’hui (2). Toutes les sources confirment la gravité des persécutions qui se sont abattues sur les militants de l’UDPS durant la période électorale (3).” (OFPRA, April 2014, p. 56)

Threats against supporters (“militants”) occur regularly, contacts of OFPRA say. Arrests still occurred in July 2013. The authorities carry out infiltration operations to identify the most active supporters. The organisation OEuvres sociales pour le développement (OSD) confirms that human rights violations are carried out, amongst others, against the UDPS and their relatives (family). Kidnappings still occur if a person is thought to be a member of the opposition. OSD is watching the case of a female member of the organisation Women of the UDPS (Femmes de l’UDPS) kidnapped alongside her son, who is also a member of the UDPS. Both are still held by the national security service (Agence Nationale de Renseignements, ANR):

“Les élections sont toujours dans l’esprit des militants et les persécutions toujours d’actualité. Les menaces visant les militants sont régulières. Les arrestations auraient toujours lieu en juillet 2013. Les autorités procèdent à des opérations d’infiltration pour tenter d’identifier les militants les plus actifs. […] L’organisation OSD confirme que les violations des droits de l’Homme que l’on constate aujourd’hui s’exercent entre autres sur les militants de l’UDPS ainsi que sur leurs proches (famille). Des enlèvements peuvent encore se produire aujourd’hui, dès lors qu’une personne est susceptible d’appartenir à l’opposition d’après l’organisation. L’organisation OSD suit en particulier le cas d’une femme appartenant à la ligue des « Femmes de l’UDPS » enlevée avec son fils, également membre de l’UDPS. Tous deux seraient jusqu’à ce jour détenus à l’ANR [Agence Nationale de Renseignements].” (OFPRA, April 2014, p. 56)

Other sources say that the situation for the UDPS is calm and except the cases reported just after the elections, there are no current cases of UDPS members who are facing problems:

“Des sources considèrent qu’aujourd’hui une situation d’accalmie prévaut pour l’UDPS, et que hormis les cas signalés et répertoriés juste après les élections, il n’y a pas de cas récents de militants UDPS ou apparentés qui auraient rencontré des problèmes.” (OFPRA, April 2014, p. 57)

The UN Security Council (UNSC) mentions the following in a report published in March 2014:

“On 26 September [2013], police barriers around the house of the leader of the l’Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UDPS), Etienne Tshisekedi, which had been erected following the 2011 elections, were removed.” (UNSC, 5 March 2014, p. 4)

In its country report on the human rights situation in 2013 published in February 2014 the US Department of State (USDOS) provides the following information on the situation of opposition parties:

“Authorities sometimes denied permission for demonstrations by opposition parties and civil society groups and arrested protest leaders.” (USDOS, 27 February 2014, Section 2b)

“The law on the status and rights of the political opposition recognizes opposition parties represented as well as those not represented in parliament. The law also details the various ‘sacred’ rights and obligations of opposition parties. Although political parties were able to operate most of the time without restriction or outside interference, opposition members were sometimes arbitrarily arrested, harassed, and prevented from holding public rallies.” (USDOS, 27 February 2014, Section 3)

Freedom House, a US-based NGO which conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, provides the following information on the treatment of opposition members and supporters in a report published January 2014:

“Opposition lawmakers were arrested and imprisoned for speaking out against the government.” (Freedom House, 23 January 2014, Overview)

“Opposition politicians and their supporters faced violence and harassment by police in the run-up to the 2011 polls. There were cases of politically motivated arrests of opposition leaders in 2013. Eugène Diomi Ndongala, the president of the Christian Democrats opposition party and a Tshisekedi supporter, was detained in April on charges supporters say were politically motivated, and was still in custody at year’s end as his trial continued.” (Freedom House, 23 January 2014, Section B)

“Authorities often target human rights activists and opposition political party members who are critical of the government.” (Freedom House, 23 January 2014, Section E)

“The judiciary is susceptible to bias against opposition party members and civil society.” (Freedom House, 23 January 2014, Section F)

Radio Okapi, a Congolese radio station created by the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), in September 2014 provides the following information on a demonstration by opposition parties in Goma:

“[Presenter] Opposition parties, including Etienne Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress [UDPS], Vital Kamerhe's Union for the Congolese Nation [UNC], Mbusa Nyamuisi's Congolese gathering for Democracy Kisangani Liberation Movement [RDC KML] to mention but those, today in Goma, demonstrated against the constitutional review. They also called for judicial independence and the release of political prisoners.

Held in the morning in Goma, the demonstration was repeatedly interrupted by the Congolese national police. Once at Signers round about, demonstrators who displayed their different political parties' flags were dispersed by the police, which fired tear gas at them.

Some sources said that at least a dozen people; mainly students were injured though the police said there no casualties when they dispersed the demonstration.” (Radio Okapi, 27 September 2014)

In June 2014 Radio Okapi reports on the sentencing by a tribunal in Kasai Orientale Province of the federal secretary of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, Bruno Kabangu Kabatshi, to 12 months in prison:

“[Presenter] The peace tribunal in Mbuji Mayi, Kasai Orientale Province [southcentral DRCongo] has sentenced the federal secretary of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress [UDPS], Bruno Kabangu Kabatshi, to 12 months in prison. The verdict was pronounced on Friday 20 June. The office of the public prosecutor accused him of having insulted the head of state and of propagating false information.

[Reporter] This sentence was pronounced after a circuit court hearing held at the Mbuji Mayi central prison in the absence of attorneys for the defense of the accused. In addition to the 12 months imprisonment, Bruno Kabangu of the UDPS, the main opposition party in the DRCongo, will have to pay fines estimated at 450,000 Congolese francs [489 dollars] and a half of the costs and fees of the proceedings which have not yet been calculated.

During the 11 June hearing, the public prosecutor requested a three-year jail term and attorneys for the defence of the accused requested for his acquittal due to lack of past offences and evoked some irregularities in the proceeding. According to notices of the judgment, the peace tribunal has disqualified the offence of insulting the head of state due to lack of a complaint filed by the president of the Republic. Contacted by Radio Okapi, Joseph Mukendi wa Mulumba, one of the attorneys for the defence of Bruno Kabangu rejected the verdict, saying it is unjust and unjustified

[Mukendi] We shall appeal against that decision because Mr Kabatshi does not deserve to stay in prison; not even for one day.

[Presenter] Bruno Kabatshi was arrested on 2 January this year and transferred to Kinshasa before being repatriated to Mbuji Mayi. Intelligence services suspected him of having in connivance with Pastor Mukmkumbila [now exiled in South Africa], organized attacks of 30 December 2013 which caused deaths and important material loss in Kinshasa, in Katanga and in Maniema province.”(Radio Okapi, 21 June 2014)

In January 2014 the public French radio station Radio France Internationale mentions the arrest of Jean Mbuyi, the vice-president of UDPS in the Kasai Orientale Province:

“According to the opposition UDPS [Union for Democracy and Social Progress] party, the vice-president of the party of Etienne Tshisekedi in the Kasai Orientale Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was arrested at Mbuji-Mayi on last Thursday [9 January].

The arrest of Jean Mbuyi followed his participation in a peaceful demonstration to demand the release of the federal secretary of the UDPS over a statement he made in a radio programme on the armed attacks in Lubumbashi, Kinshasa and Kindu on 30 December.

Mbuyi, who was arrested together with other party activists who were calling for the freedom of speech, is still detained by the security services of Mbuji-Mayi.“ (Radio France Internationale, 12 January 2014)

 

 

 

References: (all links accessed 6 October 2014)

·      Freedom House: Freedom in the World 2014 - Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa), 23 January 2014 (available at ecoi.net)

http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/284543/401913_en.html

·      OFPRA - Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides: Rapport de mission en République démocratique du Congo (RDC); 30 juin - 7 juillet 2013, April 2014

http://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/documents/Rapport_RDC_05_2014.PDF

·      Radio France Internationale: Security forces arrest opposition party official in central DRCongo, 12 January 2014 (quoted from BBC Monitoring)

·      Radio Okapi: DRCongo opposition official handed 12-month sentence for insulting president, 21 June 2014 (quoted from BBC Monitoring)

·      Radio Okapi: DRCongo police fire tear gas to disperse opposition protesters in eastern town, 27 September 2014 (quoted from BBC Monitoring)

·      UNSC - UN Security Council: Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [S/2014/157], 5 March 2014 (available at ecoi.net)

http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1226_1394795909_n1424637-drc.pdf

·      USDOS - US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2013 - Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 27 February 2014 (available at ecoi.net)

http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/270684/386098_en.html