Regional
DRC: Tshisekedi endlessly violating fundamental rights of Congolese
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.