The Rapport de mission à Kinshasa (République démocratique du Congo) du 16 juin au 15 août 2002, written by the Documentation Center for Asylum Agencies (Centre de documentation des instances d'asile, CEDOCA) that reports to Belgium's Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, included the Military Detection of Unpatriotic Activities (Détection militaire des activités anti-patrie, DEMIAP) in its list of security services that [translation] "regularly commit human rights violations in the RDC [Democratic Republic of Congo]" (Belgium Oct. 2002, 5-6). According to this report, the DEMIAP, which succeeded the Military Action and Intelligence Service (Service d'action et de renseignements militaires, SARM), falls under the authority, [translation] "at least officially, of the Congolese Armed Forces (Forces armées congolaises, FAC)" and is organized as follows:

[translation]

- [an] Internal Security Directorate (Direction de sécurité intérieure, DEMIAP/Intérieure) [whose] head office is located on Rail Avenue, going toward Kintambo/Magasin. [It] is also in charge of the renowned Ouagadougou prison;

- [an] External Security Directorate (Direction de sécurité extérieure, DEMIAP/Extérieure) [whose] offices are located in the former SICOTRA harbour facilities along the Congo River in the commune of Gombe (ibid.).

In referring to the prison conditions in Kinshasa City, one source indicated that DEMIAP prisons were among [translation] "the detention centres that are outside the control of the legal authorities, particularly the public prosecutor's office, [and that] it is mainly in these places that detainees are systematically tortured" (United Nations 17 Mar. 2003). The same document also noted that [translation] "although the head of the Congolese government officially announced their closure on 8 March 2001, these detention centres continue to operate as before and people in custody are denied their right to visits with legal counsel, doctors and family members" (ibid.).

In reference to the three asylum seekers who were returned to the RDC, the Swiss human rights association Augenauf expressed its concern for the fact that [translation] "three men were handed over directly to the DEMIAP security services, which are known worldwide for torturing people in their custody" (SDA 21 Nov. 2001).

Amnesty International indicated in a 6 June 2001 report that "[t]he ANR [National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale des renseignements)], DEMIAP and several other security services ... in effect operate outside the framework of Congolese law and of international human rights treaties to which the country is party." The same source added that "[t]orture and ill-treatment are commonplace at ... [the unofficial] detention centres" run by the security services, including the DEMIAP, despite President Kabila's public commitment to close these centres (AI 6 June 2003).

No information on the role of the DEMIAP "commander" could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

For more information on Congolese security services, including the DEMIAP, please consult RDC39475.FE of 19 September 2002.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International (AI). 6 June 2001. "Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): N'sii Luanda Shandwe, Human Rights Activist." (Index AI : AFR 62/013/2001) http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR620132001?open&of=ENG-COD [Accessed 3 July 2003]

Belgium. October 2002. Commissariat général aux réfugiés et aux apatrides. Service de documentation et de recherche, Centre de documentation des instances d'asile (CEDOCA). Rapport de mission à Kinshasa (République démocratique du Congo) du 16 juin au 5 août 2002.

United Nations. 17 March 2003. Commission des droits de l'homme. Droits civils et politiques : exposé écrit présenté conjointement par International Human Rights Law Group, organisation non gouvernementale dotée du statut consultatif spécial. http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2003.NGO.192.Fr?Opendocument [Accessed 3 July 2003]

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA). 21 November 2001. "Expulsion vers Kinshasa en août 2000 : demande d'arrêt des renvois vers des pays en guerre civil." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential 2000-2002

Africa Research Bulletin 2000-2002

Info-Congo/Kinshasa 2000-2001

Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent 2000-2002

Keesing's Record of World Events 2000-2002

LEXIS/NEXIS

Resource Centre country file. RDC

Internet sites, including:

Africatime

AllAfrica

Amnesty International

Digitalcongo.net

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

MISNA

ReliefWeb

La Voix des sans voix (VSV)