DR Congo security forces, rebels commit rights abuses: UN expert

A United Nations expert on Wednesday accused the Democratic Republic of Congo's security forces and rebel groups of perpetrating violations against human rights defenders including journalists.

"Perpetrators of violations against defenders range from police, military and intelligence officers to members of armed groups," said Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in a statement.

"Complaints filed by human rights defenders are seldom thoroughly investigated, and trials often fall short of international standards on fair trial," she assessed after a two-week visit to the war-torn country.

Sekaggya said human rights defenders are stigmatized by authorities as "enemies" and are exposed to "threats and attacks" when lending support to victims of rights violations.

She also noted that journalists who report on rights abuses in particular have been "killed, threatened, tortured or arrested," if they address issues such as sexual violence, impunity for crimes and the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

"The media are sometimes suspended, and journalists often censor themselves for fear of reprisals. Journalists are also denied access to information by authorities," she said.

Sekaggya expressed concern about the military operation by the DR Congo army and the UN mission in the country, MONUC, against the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) rebels in eastern Congo, saying that it makes human rights defenders "more vulnerable to attacks and reprisals."

She called for the government to condemn publicly killings and other violations against human rights defenders, rather than seeing them "often detained in secret" at the national headquarters of the intelligence services, where UN personnel have no access to them.

In addition, it should investigate all rights abuses and to hold fair trials, she said.

Sekaggya arrived in the DR Congo on May 21 at the invitation of the government and she visited the cities of Kinshasa, Kananga in the south and Bukavu in the east, as well as having talks with Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito and Human Rights Minister Upio Karuwa.