Document #1122402
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The following information was provided in a
5 January 1999 telephone interview by the director of the
Association africaine pour la défense des droits de l'homme
(ASADHO).
Exit permits (or autorisations de sortie),
which were abolished by the authorities of Zaire in 1990 in the
course of the democratization process were re-established in May
1997 with the arrival of Joseph-Laurent Kabila and have remained in
force ever since. This measure applies to all the citizens of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) travelling abroad. In order to
obtain an exit permit, an application must be submitted to the
nearest Agence nationale de renseignement (ANR, or National
Inteligence Agency) office, with the departure and return dates,
the travel itinerary and the reasons for travelling abroad
indicated. Once granted, the border guards collect the exit permit
at the point of departure and put an exit stamp in the passport.
The ASADHO director indicated also that it was possible to by-pass
immigration controls and leave and return to the DRC without an
exit permit. However, persons could be prosecuted by the
authorities if they were informed about the person's unauthorized
absence.
This information was corroborated by a
representative of an organization called "Comité droits de
l'homme, maintenant" (Committee Human Rights, Now) who was part of
a Congolese Civil Society Delegation visiting Ottawa on 27 January
1999. The committee was created in 1992 in order to co-ordinate the
activities of six to seven Human rights organizations, including
ASADHO and the Amos group, within a single forum, and to speak on
their behalf (Entraide missionnaire 2 févr. 1999). According
to the representative of "Comité droits de l'homme,
maintenant", exit permits were reinstated in May 1997 by the Kabila
government and applied to all DRC citizens. In order to obtain an
exit permit, applicants must obtain their visas from countries of
destination, submit them to the authorities who issue exit permits,
and hand-over their exit permit to the immigration officers at
Kinshasa airport who, in return, stamp an exit stamp in their
passport. The representative also indicated that DRC citizens
currently living in the rebel-occupied areas have no choice other
than going through Rwanda or Uganda to travel abroad. If these
persons leave the DRC without exit permits, they may be prosecuted
for being in contact with the enemy by the authorities if they
re-enter the country through Kinshasa. However, these persons would
have nothing to fear if they returned in the occupied areas of the
DRC through Rwanda and Uganda.
The Travel Information Manual
states that "entry in Congo (Kinshasa) must be effectuated by
Kinshasa only and no longer by the East of Congo (Kinshasa) due to
problem areas" (Feb. 1999, 104).
No copy or description of the exit permit
could be obtained from the sources consulted by the Research
Directorate within the prescribed research deadlines.
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
Association africaine pour la
défense des droits de l'homme (ASADHO). 5 January 1999.
Telephone interview with the director.
Comité droits de l'homme,
maintenant, Kinhsasa. 27 January 1999. Interview with visiting
representative.
Entraide missionnaire, Montréal.
2 February 1999. Telephone interview with representative.
Travel Information Manual
[Hoofddorp, The Netherlands]. February 1999.
Other Sources Consulted
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Ottawa.
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Washington.
Note on contacting foreign diplomatic representatives in Canada:
Ability to obtain information from
diplomatic representatives depends on availability of
information and co-operation from
individual countries.