COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 31 JULY 2007 RDS-IND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 31 JULY 2007 Contents PREFACE Latest news EVENTS IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, FROM 1 MAY 2007 TO 9 JULY 2007 REPORTS ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 10 JULY 2007 AND ?? JULY 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 2005 ..............................................................................3.05 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .....................................................................4.01 5. CONSTITUTION ....................................................................................5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM .............................................................................6.01 Government ..................................................................................6.05 Elections .......................................................................................6.22 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................7.01 8. SECURITY SITUATION - GENERAL .........................................................8.01 Eastern DRC............................................................................. 8.68 Ituri ............................................................................................ 8.78 North Kivu ................................................................................ 8.153 South Kivu................................................................................ 8.225 Bukavu June 2004 ................................................................... 8.270 Gatumba massacre August 2004 ........................................... 8.276 Katanga..................................................................................... 8.281 Possible secession attempt April 2005 ...................................... 8.300 Kilwa October 2004.................................................................. 8.304 9. CRIME................................................................................................9.01 10. SECURITY FORCES.............................................................................10.01 Police.............................................................................................10.08 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.20 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.24 Armed forces ................................................................................10.31 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.40 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.41 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 10.44 Other government forces ............................................................10.49 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 31 July 2007. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 31 JULY 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 ...............................................................................13.06 Fair trial .........................................................................................13.10 Penal code ....................................................................................13.14 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 ..................................................................................18.50 Newspaper articles.......................................................................18.57 Radio, television and the internet...............................................18.63 19. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS General ..........................................................................................19.01 Treatment of non-government organisations (NGOs) ..............19.25 Human rights activists.................................................................19.28 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........................................................................22.29 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 ......................................................................................26.19 Child custody outside marriage……………………………………26.22 Child custody due to divorce....................................................... 26.23 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 31 July 2007. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 31 JULY 2007 Divorce procedure & child custody accoding to common law 26.24 Transfer of child custody……………………………………………26.25 Recognition of Fatherhood………………………………………….26.26 Adoption………………………………………………………………..26.27 Adoption of a child less than 15 years of age…………………...26.28 Adoption of a child more than 15 years of age………………….26.29 Street children ..............................................................................26.30 Sexual exploitation.......................................................................26.37 Health issues ................................................................................26.41