Person who had arranged the planned meeting with SR

Cases

Relevant SG report

From Country

Country Geolocation

Latitude: -4.038333

Longitude: 21.758664

From Region

UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report

Type of rights defended

Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?: No

Reported trigger of reprisal: fact-finding mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Special Rapporteur on summary, arbitrary and extrajudicial executions, person had arranged meeting

Engagement with UN body

Type of attempted engagement

Meeting with UN officials during country visit / with locally present UN officials

Reprisal information: Special Rapporteur indicated that when he travelled to Kisantu in Bas Congo on 13 October 2009, as part of his official mission to the country, he was prevented from speaking with witnesses who had witnessed the killings of large numbers of Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) supporters in recent years. The Special Rapporteur further stated that this interference with his ability to carry out his official mission was apparently ordered by the Governor of the Province and carried out by the Mayor of Kisantu.

The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that as soon as he left Kisantu, the person who had arranged the planned meeting for him was detained by the police. The return of the Special Rapporteur to Kisantu was required in order to secure his release. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur emphasized that he remained concerned about the security of the individual who was detained as well as that of the other witnesses.

Types of reprisals suffered

Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?: No

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?: No

Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?: No

Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?: No