Elections: Rights violations escalate in Congo, says UN

The Punch -

The UN has said the violations of human rights by authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo was escalating ahead of elections.
Director, UN Joint Human Rights Office, Jose-Maria Aranaz, said on Thursday in New York that it had documented 24 election-related violations in August, including arbitrary arrests and threats, compared with 14 of such incidents in July.

He said during a press conference that in the document, journalists were targeted in eight cases, while the same number involved activists.

Aranaz said this had a negative impact on the credibility of elections and it confirms a worrying trend.
“The UNJHRO remains deeply concerned about the restrictions on liberty of expression in the country and the security of those who express criticisms of the government and its actions,” he said.

The UN official said political tensions in Congo were rising before local, provincial and national elections over the next 14 months, meant to culminate in a presidential vote in November 2016.
“Kabila, who took power after his father’s assassination in 2001, is required by the constitution to stand down, but critics accuse him of trying to hold onto power.

“At least 40 people were killed in anti-government protests in January.
“Kabila has refused to comment on his political future, although a spokesman has said he intends to respect the constitution,’’ he said.

Aranaz said he was alarmed by abuses by Congo’s intelligence agency, which was responsible for nine of the 24 violations.

Meanwhile, domestic and international rights groups have accused the government of using the intelligence service to jail and intimidate political opponents and young activists.
They said four young activists in the eastern city of Goma could be sentenced to three years each in prison on Friday.

The activists said they were arrested in April for encouraging local residents to protest the detentions of fellow activists.
The government did not comment on the UN statement but had previously said that law enforcement only targets people who break the country’s laws and that any arrests were not politically motivated.