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Democratic Republic of the Congo COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 8 MAY 2007 RDS-IND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 8 MAY 2007 Contents PREFACE Latest news EVENTS IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, FROM 1 MAY 2007 TO 8 MAY 2007 REPORTS ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 1 MAY 2007 AND 8 MAY 2007 Paragraphs Background information 1. GEOGRAPHY.......................................................................................1.01 Map - DRC ..................................................................................... 1.05 Eastern DRC ................................................................................. 1.06 2. ECONOMY...........................................................................................2.01 3. HISTORY.............................................................................................3.01 History to 1997..............................................................................3.01 The Laurent Kabila Regime 1997 ................................................3.02 The Joseph Kabila Regime 2001.................................................3.04 Events of 2006 ..............................................................................3.05 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .....................................................................4.01 5. CONSTITUTION....................................................................................5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM .............................................................................6.01 Government ..................................................................................6.05 Elections .......................................................................................6.19 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................7.01 8. SECURITY SITUATION - GENERAL .........................................................8.01 Eastern DRC............................................................................. 8.56 Ituri ............................................................................................ 8.60 North Kivu ................................................................................ 8.126 South Kivu................................................................................ 8.180 Bukavu June 2004 ................................................................... 8.216 Gatumba massacre August 2004 ........................................... 8.222 Katanga..................................................................................... 8.227 Possible secession attempt April 2005 ...................................... 8.246 Kilwa October 2004.................................................................. 8.250 9. CRIME................................................................................................9.01 10. SECURITY FORCES.............................................................................10.01 Police.............................................................................................10.08 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.18 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.22 Armed forces ................................................................................10.29 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.36 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.37 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 10.40 Other government forces ............................................................10.45 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 8 May 2007. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 8 MAY 2007 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 11. MILITARY SERVICE .............................................................................11.01 Treatment of deserters and conscientious objectors............... 11.23 12. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT FORCES ............................................12.01 Disarmament of foreign armed groups ......................................12.11 Torture...........................................................................................12.25 Forced conscription.....................................................................12.26 13. JUDICIARY Organisation .................................................................................13.01 Independence ...............................................................................13.05 Fair trial .........................................................................................13.09 Penal code ....................................................................................13.13 14. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ..........................................14.01 15. PRISON CONDITIONS ..........................................................................15.01 16. DEATH PENALTY ................................................................................16.01 17. POLITICAL AFFILIATION .....................................................................17.01 Freedom of political expression .................................................17.07 Letters of support from political parties ....................................17.08 Freedom of association and assembly ......................................17.09 Opposition groups and political activists..................................17.16 18. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA.......................................................18.01 Journalists ....................................................................................18.06 Newspapers ..................................................................................18.40 Newspaper articles.......................................................................18.47 Radio, television and the internet...............................................18.53 19. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS General ..........................................................................................19.01 Treatment of non-government organisations (NGOs) .............. 19.24 Human rights activists.................................................................19.27 20. CORRUPTION .....................................................................................20.01 21. FREEDOM OF RELIGION Legal framework...........................................................................21.01 Religious groups ..........................................................................21.04 Bundu Dia Kongo .........................................................................21.05 Arrests of July 2002 and subsequent events............................. 21.14 Armée De Victoire (Army of Victory Church).............................21.23 Events of June 2003 and subsequently..................................... 21.27 Religious freedom ........................................................................21.34 22. ETHNIC GROUPS ................................................................................22.01 Ethnic issues ................................................................................22.06 Banyarwanda/Banyamulenge/Tutsis in Eastern DRC............... 22.11 Tutsis in Kinshasa........................................................................22.28 23. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ................... 23.01 24. DISABILITY ........................................................................................24.01 25. WOMEN Legal rights ...................................................................................25.01 Political rights...............................................................................25.05 Social and economic rights.........................................................25.06 Violence against women..............................................................25.16 26. CHILDREN Basic information .........................................................................26.01 Education ......................................................................................26.07 Child care ......................................................................................26.18 Street children ..............................................................................26.20 Sexual exploitation.......................................................................26.26 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 8 May 2007. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 8 MAY 2007 Health issues ................................................................................26.30 Child labour ..................................................................................26.33 Child soldiers................................................................................26.38 Imprisonment of children ............................................................26.67 Children and witchcraft ...............................................................26.78 Children and the 2006 election
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