{A new United Nations (UN) report on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is warning of a worrying clampdown on opposition, media and civil society ahead of key elections in the country due next year.
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The report was prepared by the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the Congo. It documents human rights violations in relation to the electoral process between January and September this year, including the use of force by the security apparatus and restrictions of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The UN Secretary General’s Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, says the report further warns that the trend of restricting freedom of expression, violating the security of those taking a critical stance of the government’s actions, indicates a shrinking of the democratic space likely to compromise the credibility of the electoral process.
According to Haq, “in total, the report documents 143 human rights violations linked to the electoral process.”
Further, the report shows that the majority of the violations took place in provinces where opposition parties and civil society are prominent. They include the provinces of Kinshasa, North and South Kivu and Eastern Kasai.
The document also reveals that a second wave of human rights violations started in July, 2015 with threats, arbitrary arrests and detention targeting mostly media workers, members of civil society and political opponents.
It also blames the majority of violations on national authorities. Faq says after the violent repression of demonstrations by security forces in January 2015 which resulted in the extrajudicial killing of at least 20 people by state agents.
The document also reveals that a second wave of human rights violations started in July, 2015 with threats, arbitrary arrests and detention targeting mostly media workers, members of civil society and political opponents.
Members of the Congolese National police and the National Intelligence Agency are said to be responsible for most of the human rights violations documented in the report.
SOURCE:SABC:SABC:[UN report shows rights violations ahead of DRC elections->http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/879dbd004adf7ad0b63ab62f1282c98c/UN-report-shows-rights-violations-ahead-of-DRC-elections-20151209]
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