The pre-election period in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is marked by ” repression “. In its press release published on Tuesday 22 August, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch declared that the authorities of the country “targeted leaders of opposition political parties” and “the recent wave of arrests and restrictions on fundamental freedoms” mainly targets the competitors of President Félix Tshisekedi, candidate for his re-election in the presidential election of December 20, which will be coupled with that of national and provincial deputies, as well as municipal councillors.
According to the human rights organization, this climate became tense after the head of state’s speech in June. “I will never, ever be the gravedigger of the Congo and the Congolese. On the other hand, I will attack without hesitation, without remorse, any Congolese who would endanger the security and stability of our country.had warned Félix Tshisekedi. It doesn’t matter what people say about it: violation of human rights, deprivation of freedoms… I won’t budge because I am a democrat, I will remain a democrat. I have no lessons to take from anyone in these areas. »
For Thomas Fessy, HRW’s principal researcher, the country’s authorities must reverse this trend to avoid worsening ” an already extremely tense situation “.
“Silence”
During the month of May, a peaceful demonstration held by opposition parties was repressed by the police, causing at least thirty injuries, including a child, and around ten arrests.
Moïse Katumbi, one of the main rivals of the head of state for the presidential election, multiplies the disappointments. His senior adviser, Salomon Idi Kalonda, was arrested on the tarmac at N’Djili International Airport in Kinshasa by military intelligence agents. Since August 14, he has been formally charged with ” treason “, “possession of classified documents” And “incitement of military personnel to commit acts contrary to their duty”. Sthe trial is due to begin on September 18.
The former governor of the former mining province of Katanga also lost one of his party’s executives, the former transport minister and deputy Chérubin Okende in a murky affair. His body was found riddled with bullets in his car on July 13. In response, Moïse Katumbi had denounced “a political assassination” with the aim of “silence”.
As for Martin Fayulu, Delly Sesanga and Augustin Matata Ponyo, also declared presidential candidates, they were prevented from holding a sit-in with their supporters in front of the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to protest against what they called ” chaotic electoral process “. “The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and beat some protesters”, says the HRW press release. According to the NGO, a similar scenario took place in the city of Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga), where the police had blocked certain streets to avoid any gathering.
“classic” condition
For Patrick Muyaya, the Minister of Communication and spokesperson for the Congolese government, this rise in pressure is a situation “classic” in the run up to the elections. He assures that ” no strategy of repression has been put in place against opponents who victimize themselves and weigh nothing to scare us”.
He also regretted the character “biased” from the HWR press release: “They took care to give voice to opponents, diplomats and the family of Chérubin Okende without giving it to the government. We feel (that the organization) is taking a stand and that is not surprising. » Mr. Muyaya stresses that there is a difference between the actions taken by the security forces during their interventions and the government. “Everyone knows that the headquarters of the CENI is inviolable. When the leaders of this institution asked the opponents to send their delegates for a discussion, did they do so? We forget that twenty-seven police officers were injured on this occasion, ” argues the minister.
For its part, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) affirmed in its half-yearly report published on August 17 that it “documented 116 human rights violations” in the period between 1er January and June 30, compared to 167 between July and December 2022. On the list, “at least 30 election-related incidents (…) which resulted in at least 80 victims, including 15 summary and extrajudicial executions and 60 victims of violations and attacks on the right to physical integrity”. Patrick Muyaya insists that these violations have been recorded throughout the country, particularly in areas under the control of armed groups and that the power of Kinshasa is not responsible for any summary execution.