Monthly Human Rights Assessment: April 2008 MONUC Human Rights Division 17 jun. 08 - 15.55h Executive Summary
• The National Assembly declared receivable four draft bills on the reform of the judiciary presented by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights;
• The Serge Maheshe appeal trial continued to be marred by serious violations of fair trial norms and standards;
• The ICC has made public an arrest warrant that was issued in 2006 against former Ituri warlord Bosco Ntaganda;
• 62 national and international NGOs issued a joint press release advocating for the appointment of a high-level Independent Special Advisor on Human Rights for eastern DRC;
• Foreign and national armed groups continued to be responsible for a marked deterioration of the security and human rights situation in several areas of the DRC;
• FARDC and PNC were implicated in violations of the rights to life, liberty and physical integrity, mainly rape and torture;
• The FARDC Inspector-General has been suspended from his duties for shooting a 20- year-old street dweller in Kinshasa;
• Five FARDC soldiers, accused of raping minors, were given sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years;
• UNHRO access to ANR holding cells denied in several areas of the DRC;
• Seventy-six inmates escaped from various prisons and detention centers across the country;
Political, Social and Security Developments
1. In Kinshasa, on 25 April 2008, the National Assembly declared receivable four key draft bills pertaining to the reform of the judiciary submitted on 15 April 2008 by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights. The four draft bills are the Code de l’organisation et des compétences des juridictions de l’ordre judiciaire, Procédure devant la Cour de Cassation, Organisation et fonctionnement de la Cour Constitutionnelle and organisation, fonctionnement et compétences des juridictions de l’ordre administratif. Another very important law aimed at reinforcing the independence of the judiciary, the draft law on the organization and functioning of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary was passed by the Senate on 14 April 2008.
2. During the reporting period, armed groups, both foreign and national, have once again been the perpetrators of acts of insecurity and serious human rights abuses. In Maniema Province, a militia group known as Simba has occupied certain localities of the territory of Lubutu where its elements have reportedly been implicated in cases of rape and extortion of the local population.
In the northern part of Dungu territory in Province Orientale, members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have allegedly been responsible for several abductions of civilians as well as forced recruitment and military training. In addition, they have destroyed several fields and pillaged villages. Most of the villagers in that part of the province have fled to the nearby forest.
3. Despite the Actes d’Engagement signed at the end of the Kivus conference in Goma on 23 January 2008, ceasefire and human rights violations have continued to take place in the eastern region of the DRC. At Bwambaili, on 22 April 2008, a fight took place between FARDC soldiers of the 151st Battalion and PARECO (Patriotes Résistants du Congo) combatants. Nine PARECO combatants and one FARDC soldier were killed while a FARDC officer was wounded.
In an unrelated case, two FARDC soldiers were wounded during clashes between FARDC soldiers of the 63rd Battalion and the FDLR (SOKI) in the area of Kinyadonyi (20 km north of Rutshuru). On 23 April 2008, three FARDC soldiers and one PARECO combatant died as a result of clashes between the FARDC 15th Integrated Brigade and PARECO at Kamandi Beach (northeast of Kanyabayonga).
4. On 29 April 2008, the FARDC Inspector-General was suspended from his duties by the Minister of Defence for having shot a 20-year-old street dweller who had attempted to steal his mobile phone in Kinshasa on 23 April. The victim was later admitted to the Military hospital at the FARDC Kokolo camp. So far, judicial investigations have not been opened into the incident.
5. In Northern Katanga, FARDC and PNC elements involved in the illegal exploitation of natural resources are the source of increased insecurity and frequent human rights violations. In Ituri, FARDC soldiers are allegedly involved in illegal exploitation of gold, coltan and timber which they ship to neighboring Uganda.
Human Rights Developments and Concerns
6. On 28 April 2008, the International Criminal Court (ICC) made public an arrest warrant that it had issued on 22 August 2006 against former Ituri warlord Bosco Ntaganda. Mr. Ntaganda is charged with the enlistment, conscription and active use of children in hostilities in Ituri between July 2002 and December 2003 while he was chief of military operations for the Hema militia group, Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC).
Since 2006, he has been the Chief of Staff for Laurent Nkunda’s Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple Congolais (CNDP) in North Kivu. Ntaganda is the fourth Congolese militia leader against whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes perpetrated in Ituri.
7. On 21 April, the UNHRO was denied access to ANR (Agence Nationale de Renseignements) holding cells in five provinces (Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, Goma-North Kivu, Kisangani-Province Orientale, Uvira-South Kivu). The reason cited for the refusal in some cases was the absence of the Director (eg. Uvira``). In other cases, for example in Bas-Congo, the HROs were informed of the need to request permission before each visit and that authorization had to be given from ANR hierarchy in Kinshasa.
A senior ANR official in Kinshasa stated that he was prepared to discuss the cases of the detainees with the UNHRO but that a decision had been taken to disallow UNHRO visits to the holding cells. In Mbuji Mayi, the team could not visit the main holding cell because of the unavailability of the Director, but they were granted access to four other ANR holding cells in the town. Following an initial refusal pending authorization from Kinshasa, UNHRO Kisangani was subsequently granted access on 23 April 2008.
Access in the remaining six provinces of the DRC was granted due to varying factors; the absence of detainees in the holding cells, working relations between ANR and HROs, the fact that ANR has no holding cells and keeps detainees in police holding cells. It is necessary to point out that, in accordance with the MONUC mandate given by different Security Council Resolutions, HROs are to be granted immediate and unhindered access to all holding cells and places of detention in the DRC.
8. On 22 April 2008, 62 national and international NGOs issued a joint press release in which they advocated for the appointment of a high-level Independent Special Advisor on Human Rights for eastern DRC. This request is aimed at ensuring full compliance of Article III of the Goma agreement which commits all signatories to strictly respect international humanitarian and human rights law.
9. On 1st April 2008, ANR agents and local authorities in Lubumbashi, Katanga Province, prevented members of two well-known human rights NGOs from flying to Kilwa to conduct follow-up investigations into the Kilwa massacre case. Two of these members subsequently received threats through anonymous telephone calls because of statements made in connection with the restriction on their freedom of movement.
In Kasaï Occidental, the police and ANR have allegedly been very hostile to members of human rights NGOs who intervene on behalf of persons arrested and detained by these services. Victims have allegedly been manhandled and intimidated.
Following a recent visit by the Governor to the area of Bena Leka (120 km from Kananga), police officers reportedly celebrated what they considered to be the suppression of human rights, because of remarks reportedly made by the Governor in connection with the activities of human rights defenders. In Bukavu, South Kivu, members of human rights NGOs observing the Serge Maheshe appeal trial were intimidated by the Senior Military Prosecutor on 26 March for having pointed out serious violations of fair trial standards.
10. On 22 April 2008, the Office of the Military Prosecutor in Kisangani arrested a Mayi Mayi leader commonly known as Col Thoms, for his alleged responsibility in the mass rape of women and girls in Lieke Lesole locality and surrounding localities in Opala territory, Province Orientale in July-August 2007. The accused was subsequently transferred to the Kisangani Central Prison.
One of four other Mayi Mayi elements from Col Thoms’ group, who were recently arrested in Lieke Lesole by a FARDC detachment and transferred to Kisangani, will be questioned in connection with the mass rape. UNHRO/Kisangani continues to closely follow the case.
11. In Bunia, Ituri, on 11 April 2008, the Zone Operations Commander launched a human rights sensitization programme for the benefit of his troops. At the launching ceremony, he committed himself to promoting and protecting human rights as well as to combating impunity. He warned that anyone who commited human rights violations against civilians would face the consequences.
He provided a laissez-passer to the UNHRO to facilitate the implementation of its mandate, including the monitoring of his troops’ compliance with human rights standards and principles. He also instructed that leaflets on human rights be distributed to his troops.
Implication of the FARDC in human rights violations
12. During the reporting period, the UNHRO observed a substantial increase in the number of human rights violations perpetrated by the FARDC across the country in comparison to last month’s statistics. Members of the FARDC were allegedly implicated in fifty nine violations (compared to 28 in March), including five violations of the right to life, twenty three violations of the right to physical integrity (thirteen rape cases and ten cases of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Three of the victims were minors), ten cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and four cases of threats and intimidation) as well as seventeen cases of extortion and armed robbery.
13. On 13 April 2008, in Alimbongo, territory of Lubero in North Kivu, four armed men in FARDC uniforms broke into a house and gang-raped a woman in front of her children and husband who was bound and had a gun pointed at his head. The assailants looted the house and threatened to return if the victims reported the case. The victim received specialized treatment at a heath centre.
14. In North Kivu, on 19 April 2008, a taxi driver was allegedly killed during an armed robbery by two FARDC soldiers attached to the office of theT2 of the 8th Military Region in Mutiri neighbourhood, Bulengera Commune, Butembo. The victim was shot 4 times in the upper body. The alleged perpetrators were arrested on 20 April 2008. In Bandundu, on 18 April 2008, a fisherman was allegedly shot in his right leg by a soldier of the Naval Force following a heated discussion. The alleged perpetrator was arrested by the local PNC.
15. On 9 April 2008, in Kiazi, (28 km from Moba), North Katanga, a FARDC soldier shot dead a fisherman because he refused to transport him and his two FARDC colleagues in his pirogue for free. The perpetrator was subsequently arrested by the Office of the Military Prosecutor.
Implication of the PNC in human rights violations
16. UNHRO monitoring activities revealed an increase in the number of human rights violations perpetrated by members of the PNC from 130 cases in March 2008 to 156 in April 2008. Members of the PNC were implicated in two violations of the right to life, 37 violations of the right to physical integrity ( 13 rape cases, three of which involved minors and 24 cases of ill-treatment) as well as 117 violations of the right to liberty (arbitrary arrests and detention).
Police officers have continued to arrest persons for purely civil matters such as non- payment of debts or domestic issues, constantly violate the 48-hour limit for keeping detainees in a holding cell before releasing them or transferring the case to the Office of the Public Prosecutor and do not keep proper records of detainees.
17. On 31 March 2008, police officers allegedly attacked a group of four artisan miners, including a 15-year-old boy, in the Katonge coltan mine (350 km west of Kalemie), northern Katanga. According to the victims, the policemen used bayonets, knives and truncheons in order to extort them of the result of their day’s labour.
The supervisor of the mine, who attempted to intervene, was also allegedly beaten, arrested and subsequently undressed by the assailants as they took him to the police station. A human rights activist who later went to the police station in order to enquire into the case was also threatened by the PNC and has reportedly gone into hiding fearing for his security.
Implication of other security services in human rights violations
18. Six persons currently detained at the Musenze Central Prison in Goma claimed to have been subjected to torture following their arrest by the ANR between 29 March and 1 April 2008 in connection with several killings that occurred in Goma recently. A female victim was allegedly stripped naked and beaten by ANR agents and elements of the PNC acting on the orders of the ANR Director. The marks observed on the bodies of five of the detainees were consistent with their claims. In Kasaï Occidental, a civilian was detained for two days (from 10 to 12 April 2008) at the private residence of the chief ANR in Bakamba. The victim was arrested on the grounds that he had denounced ANR abuses in August 2007. In another incident, a staff member of the local Red Cross was arrested and subjected to ill-treatment by the same ANR Chief in Bakamba. The victim was released upon the intervention of local human rights defenders and the payment of the sum of 5.000 FC.
19. On 2 April, five men dressed in Republic Guard uniforms allegedly shot dead a civilian at his home in Ngamazita neighbourhood in the Commune of Kimbanseke, Kinshasa. The victim was allegedly shot three times. Two of the perpetrators have reportedly been arrested. In Ankoro, North Katanga, on 1st April, elements of the Republican Guard subjected a civilian to a severe beating and then undressed him in public because his clothes appeared similar to a military uniform.
His sister received a similar treatment when she attempted to intervene. Later that day, the same group arrested the Captain of a pirogue and his helper and subjected them to inhumane and degrading treatment for no apparent reason.
Implication of armed groups in human rights abuses
20. During the period in review, armed groups, including Mayi Mayi group of colonel Zabuloni, FPRI elements and CNDP elements were implicated in a number of human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest and illegal as well as ill-treatment. In North Kivu, on 20 April 2008 four civilians were arbitrarily arrested and illegally detained by CNDP elements in Karuba, Territory of Masisi. The victims were repeatedly beaten up during their interrogation and detention at the CNDP holding cell in Mushake.
CNDP elements have persistently refused to hand over the victims to the relevant State authorities claiming that theses cases will be adjudicated by CNDP Judicial Police Officers. In South Kivu, on 24 April 2008, a woman was allegedly extorted and subjected to ill-treatment by four Mayi Mayi combatants of Col. Zabuloni. The victim, who had resisted extortion, was repeatedly hit with the butt of their rifle.
Administration of justice/Fight against impunity
Trial monitoring
21. During the reporting period, seven hearings into the Serge Maheshe appeal trial took place before the Military Court in Bukavu, South Kivu. The main developments included a visit to the scene of the crime during which the two friends of the deceased and only eyewitnesses to the killing (les auteurs intellectuels) were questioned at length by the different parties on how the crime was committed, the questioning of the two main accused on their retraction letter, the refusal of the Court to heed yet another request made by the Defense for ballistic expertise in order to determine the weapon which was used in the shooting, the withdrawal of one of the Defense lawyers for security reasons and allegations of threats received through anonymous phone calls by three of the defence lawyers, intimidation of human rights defenders observing the trial by the Presiding Judge and allegations of threats received by human rights defenders anonymous through SMS.
The UNHRO noted with concern the presence in the courtroom of the two military magistrates who were mentioned in the retraction letter written by two main accused (les auteurs intellectuels) in violation of Art 242 of the Military Judicial Code as well as the general tense atmosphere that prevailed during the hearings.
22. During the period in review, the Gédéon trial continued before the Haut Katanga Military Tribunal. The hearings were mainly focused on the motion filed by four victims on 2 April for the recusal of two of the judges sitting in the case.
The lawyers for the victims raised two objections, the first based on the fact that one of the judges against whom a motion for recusal has been filed (a Captain) is senior to the Presiding judge (a Lieutenant); the second was based on the failure of the Registrar to duly notify all parties of the hearing, In reaction to the two objections, the Prosecution argued that, in accordance with the jurisprudence and based on the fact that the judge against whom the motion for recusal has been filed was not a defendant in the case, he could legally remain on the panel. He also confirmed the irregularity of the notification by the Registrar.
23. On 17 April 2008, the Haut Katanga Military Tribunal turned down the motion of recusal, citing the following reasons: the absence of the victims who had filed the motion, their failure to provide powers of attorney to their legal counsel, the fact that they were not victims in the matter on which their recusal motion is based. On 25 April 2008, the Military Court began hearings into the request for reasonable suspicion about the fairness of the trial before the Military Tribunal which had been formally brought before the Court by three of the lawyers for the victims. The hearing was adjourned to 29 April due to irregularities in the notification of the parties.
24. On Tuesday, 1st April 2008, the trial of a FARDC Major, the former T2 (Chief of military intelligence) in Bunia, began before the Kasaï Oriental Military Court in Mbuji Mayi. The officer is charged with arbitrary arrest and failure to assist a person in danger, in connection with the death of a civilian on the night of 14-15 March 2006 in a holding cell of the FARDC HQ in Bunia. The victim was arrested on 10 March by the FARDC and transferred to the FARDC HQ the following day. He was allegedly beaten by a group of FARDC soldiers who were detained in the same cell at the FARDC HQ and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
The Major and his assistant, a Lieutenant, who was in charge of the holding cell, allegedly refused to provide medical attention to the detainee, despite repeated requests from family members. The Major was never arrested or charged for the crime in Bunia and was later transferred to Mbuji Mayi where he was arrested on 27 November 2007. He was granted bail on 1st December allegedly following pressure from high-ranking FARDC officers. The 25 and 28 April 2008’s proceedings were mainly devoted to the making of closing statements by the different parties. The Court adjourned the trial to 12 May 2008 when it is expected to pronounce its verdict.
25. During the reporting period, twenty two (22) BDK members appeared before the Mbanza Ngungu High Court (215 km east of Matadi) charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, incitation to participate in an insurrectionary movement, rebellion, violation of the right to freedom of worship in connection with acts committed in the territory of Luozi during the February-March PNC operations in Bas-Congo. All five hearings were mainly devoted to the questioning of the co-defendants and the testimonies of two key witnesses, namely the BDK leader in Luozi and the Administrateur du Territoire,
26. On 15 April 2008, the Mbanza Ngungu Military Tribunal conducting on-site trials in Luozi, (235 km north of Matadi) sentenced two elements of the PNC to 20 years in prison for rape committed during the recent PNC operations against the BDK in Luozi. Both were dismissed from the PNC and ordered to pay $10,000 and $50,000 US respectively in damages to the victim in solidum with the Congolese State. The convicted men were transferred to the Mbanza Ngungu Prison to serve their sentences.
27. In South Kivu, a FARDC soldier (attached to the Naval Force) accused of murder was sentenced to death by the Uvira Military Tribunal conducting on-site trials in Baraka from 14 to 18 April 2008.
28. In Ituri, on 2 May 2008, a PNC officer accused of killing a minor was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bunia Military Tribunal sitting in flagrance. The convict was also dismissed from the PNC and ordered to pay the sum of 10.000 USD in damages to the victim’s family.
29. In Bas Congo, on 2 May 2008, a PNC officer charged with violation of military instructions (violation de consignes) was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Matadi Military Tribunal. The convict has lodged an appeal.
Sexual Violence and fight against impunity
30. During the first quarter of the year, the UNHRO documented 52 sexual violence cases across the country. 54% of the alleged perpetrators were PNC elements, 27% were FARDC soldiers, and 14% were members of armed groups whereas 5% were ANR agents. Eleven cases were reported during the month of April, two of which included minors. In Province Orientale, on 15 April 2008, a woman was allegedly gang raped by two FARDC soldiers in the presence of her husband in the locality of Mbala (11 km of Nyankunde). The latter was threatened with death by the assailants.
31. In North Kivu, on the night of 21-22 April 2008, two teenagers who were hospitalized at a private clinic were allegedly raped by two FARDC soldiers who were patients at the same clinic. One of the alleged perpetrators was arrested and transferred to the Military prosecutor in Beni.
32. In Province Orientale, on the night of 16-17 April 2008, a minor was repeatedly raped by a FARDC soldier attached to the 13th Brigade in Ndalya. The alleged perpetrator had persuaded the victim’s parents that he could get rid of the evil spirit which was haunting their daughter. He was arrested but escaped later.
33. In Kinshasa, on the night of 17-18 April 2008, a woman and her two daughters, including a 14-year-old girl, were threatened with death, extorted and later raped by a group of five armed FARDC soldiers. The assailants had broken into their private residence.
34. In North and South Kivu, the UNHRO observed that high ranking military officers were adjudicating cases, including rape cases, in which their soldiers were implicated. As a result of their interference, obstruction and engagement in out-of-court settlement of rape cases, in South Kivu, three alleged perpetrators were set free. In North Kivu, a FARDC Commander in Muhangi admitted having engaged and facilitated an out-of – court settlement of a rape case. The victim, a 14 year-old girl, was raped by a FARDC warrant officer on 6 April 2008 in the locality of Buyinga (60 km west of Butembo).
35. In a positive development, on 9 April 2008, a civilian accused of raping a six-year-old girl, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Mbuji Mayi. The convict was also ordered to pay the sum of 2.000 USD in damages to the victim. In South-Kivu, a soldier of the Naval Force, accused of raping a minor, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the Uvira Military Tribunal conducting on-site trials in Baraka from 14 to 18 April 2008.
The convict was fined 35.000 CF and also ordered to pay the sum of and 250 USD in damages to the victim. The same Tribunal sentenced a FARDC second Lieutenant to five years in prison for raping a minor on 14 November 2007. He was fined 35.000 CF and ordered to pay the sum of 150 USD in damages to the victim.
36. In Katanga, on 21 April 2008, a FARDC sergeant accused of raping a minor, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Kalemie Military Tribunal and ordered to pay the sum of 1.000 USD in damages to the victim. In Kasaï Occidental, a FARDC soldier, accused of raping a minor, was sentenced to eight months in prison by the Kananga Military Tribunal. The convict was also ordered to pay the sum of 5.000 FC as judicial fees.
37. In North Kivu, on 30 April 2008, a FARDC soldier accused of raping a minor in Eringeti on 15 October 2007, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Beni Military Tribunal. The convict has lodged an appeal.
Human Rights in Prisons and Detention Centres
38. During the period in review, visits to PNC holding cells have again revealed several cases of arbitrary arrests and illegal detention. Violations of the 48-hour constitutional period for keeping detainees in a holding cell are systematic. In Kwandroma, Ituri, two men accused of dealing in counterfeit currency had been in detention for three weeks without appearing before a judicial authority. In another police station in Ituri, in Ondolea, after spending two months in the holding cell, two detainees had still not appeared before a magistrate and their names were not entered in the register.
39. In Beni, North Kivu, on the night of 26-27 April 2008, a 32-year-old inmate at the Beni Central Prison was allegedly shot dead by the prison guards as he attempted to escape by scaling the prison walls. The inmate had been in pre-trial detention since 9 November following his arrest by the Office of the Military Prosecutor on a charge of criminal conspiracy. 40. On the night of 1-2 April 2008, forty six (46) inmates escaped from the Isiro Central Prison in Haut-Uele District in Province Orientale. They reportedly broke down the main door in the absence of the PNC guards. Reports indicate that the escape was in protest against the unavailability of the Vice-Governor (who was on an official visit to the area) to meet with the inmates who wanted to bring their grievances to his attention: lack of food and adequate sanitary conditions at the prison and prolonged pre-trial detention caused by the lack of Judges at the Isiro High Court. None of the escapees have so far been captured.
41. On the night of 12-13 April 2008, 16 of the 33 inmates at the Aru Prison escaped. The escapees were serving time for rape, murder, aggravated theft and for causing grievous bodily harm. The mass escape followed a wave of protests by the inmates in reaction to the failure of the local administration to provide them with their weekly food rations and also to a collective interdiction to use the toilets imposed upon them by a policeman attached to the prison.
The police officer had accused some inmates of having stolen his private correspondence on 10 April 2008 and decided to keep all the prisoners locked up in their cells as a form of punishment. The prisoners reacted by first throwing stones on the prison roof and subsequently began to dig a hole in the wall through which they later escaped.
There have been other escapes and attempted escapes from the Aru Central Prison so far this year. During the month of January, eight inmates escaped, including one charged with rape and the other with murder. During the week of 23-29 February 2008, quick action by prison guards prevented an attempted escape by 32 inmates.
42. In Equateur, on 26 April 2008, an inmate escaped from the Mbandaka Central Prison. Investigations are ongoing. In Ituri, on 28 April 2008, a FARDC officer accused of raping a minor escaped from the Zone Ops HQ holding cell in Bunia. Still in Ituri, an inmate who was serving a-five-year sentence for illegal possession of weapons, escaped while he was hospitalized at the Hôpital Général in Bunia on the night of 28-29 April 2008.
43. With a view to verifying the legality of the detention and the human rights conditions of the detainees, in Ituri, on 17 April 2008, the local judicial authorities paid a visit to the Bunia Central Prison. The team observed that three inmates had died of malnutrition and 33 inmates had escaped from the prison since the beginning of April 2008.
A total of 78 inmates have escaped from the Bunia prison since January 2008. In Bandundu Province, on the night of 18 April 2008, an inmate charged with murder escaped from the Bandundu central prison. One of the two prison guards on duty was arrested for having facilitated the escape. The other went into hiding.
44. On 3 May 2008, the Deputy Minister of Human Rights paid a visit to the CPRK (Centre Pénitentiaire de Rééducation de Kinshasa) with the aim of verifying the legality of the detention as well as the detention conditions of the inmates. The Deputy Minister noted that 174 inmates were illegally detained and subsequently ordered the release of 40 civilian inmates and announced that the other 134 inmates would be released shortly.
Activities
Capacity building and human rights awareness
45. UNHRO/Kasaï Occidental made a presentation on Sexual Violence and Human Rights during a meeting of the Tshikapa civil society on 12 April. Another presentation on human rights was made during a training seminar that was organized by the Office of the Public Prosecutor in Luebo for 500 Judicial Police Officers (OPJ) on 14 April 2008.
46. In Kasaï Occidental, the UNHRO in tandem with UNPOL facilitated an-eight days (from 16 to 24 April 2008) training session for 67 PNC officers, including 8 women in Dimbelenge (150 km east of Kananga). Modules covered included: introduction to human rights, police investigations and human rights, the rights of persons under arrest, children’s rights, women’s rights and the new laws on sexual violence”
47. On 8 April 2008, the Technical Cooperation Unit organized a seminar on Human Rights and HIV/AIDS for 38 persons, including 16 Senators, members of UN Agencies as well as civil society representatives. The main objective of the seminar was to sensitize the Senators on the important role they are called to play in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in particular, by providing them with the necessary tools to enable them to support and defend the draft law on the protection of the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS.
48. On 7 April, UNHRO/Bunia, in collaboration with a local radio station, launched a sensitization campaign aimed at combating sexual violence and bringing to an end the impunity generally enjoyed by perpetrators. The first topic presented was entitled “Sexual Violence, a societal phenomenon in Ituri”.
49. UNHRO/Bandundu held a sensitization session on human rights for over sixty members of the Provincial Assembly on 11 April. The Deputies demonstrated keen interest in the presentation and posed several questions. Each participant received a copy of the presentation as well as a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.