All sides of conflict in DR of Congo guilty of human rights violations: UN report
20 October -- There are widespread human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including torture, detention of political prisoners and the lack of freedom of expression, according to a United Nations report released today in New York.
In his study, issued at UN Headquarters, Special Rapporteur Roberto Garretón criticizes the human rights records of all of the parties in the country's conflicts, and states that none of the parties has fully respected the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement.
Torture, the detention of political prisoners and the lack of due process are problems shared by all sides, according to the rapporteur, who notes that politically-motivated imprisonment of ministers and other high-level officials continues despite the Kinshasa amnesty. "Torture is practised by all parties and in many instances it has resulted in death," the Rapporteur says.
As for the right to freedom of expression, the Rapporteur says, "There is none." "In Government-controlled territory, there are a few newspapers with a limited circulation and journalists are regularly harassed," the report states. "In territory [controlled by the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD)], there are no opposition newspapers and the few independent radio stations have been shut down, censored and prevented from broadcasting any news programmes other than the official ones."
The report recommends that all parties fully implement the Lusaka Agreement, cooperate with the UN Mission in the DRC and put an end to all forms of impunity. It also recommends the abolishment of the death penalty, the release of all political prisoners, the elimination of the Military Court, the end of press censorship and the demobilization of child soldiers.
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