DRC: Tshisekedi endlessly violating fundamental rights of Congolese

Author: Ngugi Jack

• 2023-03-30 05:43:00

The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), on March 20, wrote to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, expressing serious concern over the arrest of the President of the North Kivu Bar Association, Joseph Sanane Chiko.

Sanane Chiko was arbitrarily detained by Military Intelligence in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province on March 3. He is accused of having denied the charges brought against his client, MP Édouard Mwangachuchu Hizi, who is detained in Kinshasa. The lawyer was later transferred to the National Directorate of Military Intelligence in Kinshasa and has been there since March 13.

Tshisekedi’s regime is charging MP Mwangachuchu with ‘treason’ and ‘criminal association’.

The High Military Court in Kinshasa is trying this member of parliament who comes from Masisi territory and is the president of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a rebel group from North Kivu that transformed into a political party in 2009. 

Since his arrest, no member of the North Kivu Bar Association is allowed to meet Sanane Chiko. To them, this is a clear violation of fundamental rights of Congolese by Tshisekedi’s government.

In his statement of March 8, the current president of the bar, Félicien Hitimana, reiterated that all attempts to contact the military intelligence officials who are holding him have been futile. 

The CCBE drew Tshisekedi’s attention to the United Nations basic principles on the role of lawyers, particularly principles 16, 17 and 18 on guarantees for the functioning of lawyers and principle 23 on freedom of expression and association.

Congolese regret to see their president who is supposed to be the guarantor of their rights, being the one to break them day to day.

Tshisekedi does not care about the human rights of his compatriots.

Apart from violating the rights of Congolese lawyers, his government and security officials are mobilizing the population to hold machetes and kill Congolese Tutsi as well as Rwandophones, with total impunity.

The CCBE urged Tshisekedi to restore the freedom of Sanane Chiko. It recalls that all lawyers should be able to carry out their professional duties without fear of reprisal, hindrance, intimidation or harassment in order to preserve the independence and integrity of the administration of justice and the rule of law.

Will Tshisekedi listen to this call despite his long-recorded violations of human rights?

 Only time will tell.