Country Profile
Poor households suffered increased food insecurity as a result of COVID-19 restrictions while prisons were chronically overcrowded. Armed conflicts and inter-communal violence continued in some provinces, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people....
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
King Mwamisyo and Elias Bizimungu are two activists with the citizens’ movement, LUCHA in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were arrested in April and September 2022, respectively, on trumped-up charges solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful...
April 5, 2023
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
Activists Claude Lwaboshi Buhazi (32), Faustin Ombeni Tulinabo (26) and Serge Mikindo Waso (33), members of the citizen movement, Jicho la Raiya (The Eye of the Citizens) were arrested on 18 February in Kirotshe, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, as they were preparing to...
December 6, 2021
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
On 24 July, human rights defenders Elisée Lwatumba Kasonia and Eric Muhindo Muvumbu were released on bail. They were arrested on 19 April while calling for a general strike to protest against increased deadly armed attacks in the north eastern territory of Beni. The two activists have been charged...
August 4, 2021
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
Human rights defenders, Elisée Lwatumba Kasonia and Eric Muhindo Muvumbu were arrested on 19 April by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) in the town of Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, while calling for a general strike to protest against increased deadly...
July 2, 2021
Campaigns
Africa
Business and Human Rights
Some 10,000 artisanal miners are at risk of serious human rights violations if forcibly removed by the army from a mining area owned by one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) largest cobalt producers, Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM). On 17 June 2019, the DRC army deployed up to 800...
June 28, 2019
Campaigns
Africa
Detention
Opposition youth leader Christian Lumu Lukusa has been in arbitrary detention since 22 November 2017, when he was arrested in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was arrested by men believed to be agents of the National Intelligence Agency (Agence Nationale de Renseignements, ANR)....
November 23, 2018
Campaigns
Africa
Prisoners of Conscience
Activists Arsene Katolo, Alain Muwaka, Oto Shaminga, Heritier Losomba, Miko Booto, Enoch Muanda and Mwanza are being held incommunicado at an unknown location in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were arrested on 11 September in the capital Kinshasa while distributing leaflets against...
November 20, 2018
Campaigns
Africa
Human Rights Defenders and Activists
On 24 September, a court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) found Grâce Tshiunza, Mino Bopomi, Cedric Kalonji and Carbone Beni guilty of “insulting the president”, “publication of subversive writings” and “civil disobedience”. The same court acquitted Palmer Kabeya. Amnesty International...
September 28, 2018
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
After more than 160 days in incommunicado detention, pro-democracy youth activists Grâce Tshiunza, Mino Bopomi, Cedric Kalonji and Carbone Beni were brought to court on 19 June and charged. The four were arrested in Kinshasa on 30 December 2017 while mobilizing the public to participate in a...
July 27, 2018
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
Youth activists Grâce Tshiuza, Mino Bompomi, Cedric Kalonji and Carbone Beni remain in arbitrary detention and have yet to be brought to court since their arrest on 30 December 2017 while mobilizing the public to participate in a peaceful protest. The authorities have been reluctant to share...
March 14, 2018
Campaigns
Africa
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
Pro-democracy activists Rachel Pilipili, Francois Kahombo Hangi, Justin Mutabesha, Benjamin Kamuntu and Parfait Muhani have been in arbitrary detention since 21 January. They have alleged that they were beaten in the first five days of their detention by security officers. The five were arrested...
February 19, 2018
Campaigns
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Censorship and Freedom of Expression
Congolese pro-democracy activists Jean Mulenda, Patrick Mbuya, Jean-Pierre Tshibitshabu and Eric Omari were sentenced to eight months in prison on 30 August. They have appealed the sentence. A fifth activist, Timothée Mbuya is still facing trial. The five were arrested on 31 July for their...
September 22, 2017