Democratic Republic of Congo
19.03.02
Urgent Interventions
D.R. Congo'Press release-Congo: OMCT deeply concerned by the trial of the persons allegedly implicated in the assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila.
URGENT APPEAL - OBSERVATORY
Original : French
RDC 002 / 0005 / OBS 038
Arrest / Holding of passport
Democratic Republic of Congo (South-Kivu)
11th may 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, request your URGENT intervention on the following situation in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brief description:
The Observatory was informed of the arrest of Doctor Collette Kitoga, coordinator of the psycho - medical center - CMM -, on 8th May, by agents of the National Intelligency Service of the Congolese Assembly for Democracy (RDC/Goma) in Bukavu, at the very time she return from Geneva, where she had participated in the 56th United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
According to the information received from the Collective of Actions for the Developement of Human Rights (CADDHOM) -, on 8th May 2000, from 13.00 p.m to 18.30 p.m., Doctor Collette Kitoga has been interrogated by the security services of the Congolese Rally for Democracy.
According to the same information, Doctor Collette Kitoga's passport has been seized by Mr. Serubuye, chief division of the National Intelligence Service (ARN), the day she crossed the Rwando-Congolese border at Ruzizi, for having allegedly left the RDC territory without permission. Her passport is still retained although Mrs Kitoga was released after five hours of interrogation. According to these information, Collette Kitoga was requested to present herself at the ARN office on 10th May in order to continue the examination of her file. On this occasion, she would have been interviewed once again about the activities of her organization, the « CMM ». Finally, the handing back of her passport required the payment of $100 penalty, and the expression of her recognition that she committed a "fault" when she left the territory to go to the IRCT conference in Zimbabwe. With regards to the circumstances and persistant threats towards human rights defenders and their activities, the Observatory fears for Mrs Collette Kitoga’s security and freedom as well as the work of her organization, the «CMM» which provides assistance to victims of torture and ill-treatment.
The Observatory expresses its grave concern for the extreme insecurity of human rights defenders in South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la
Démocratie (RCD) urging that they
i. to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the Doctor Collette Kitoga ;
ii. put a term of the persecution, arrests, and all the other forms of harrasment against human rights defenders, on the whole territory;
iii. take appropriate measures to guarantee the freedom of action and work of human rights organisations and their members for the promotion and defense of human rights and fundamentals freedom;
iv. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9 1998 (Declaration concerning the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups and institutions to promote and protect universally recognised human rights and fundamental liberties) in particular its Article 1 which provides that " Every person has the right, individually or collectively, to promote the protection and fulfilment of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international level. ", and also its article 9. 3(a) " Every one has the right to complain about policies and actions of individual officials and governmental bodies with regards to violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms ".
v. more generally guarantee the effective respect of fundamental human rights and freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the universal and regional Pacts and Covenants ratified by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Addresses
Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie / Goma par fax 00 871 761 850 629.
Geneva- Paris, 11th may 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of the present appeal.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line :Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 4122 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
Original : French
RDC 002 / 0005 / OBS 038
Arrest / Holding of passport
Democratic Republic of Congo (South-Kivu)
11th may 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, request your URGENT intervention on the following situation in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brief description:
The Observatory was informed of the arrest of Doctor Collette Kitoga, coordinator of the psycho - medical center - CMM -, on 8th May, by agents of the National Intelligency Service of the Congolese Assembly for Democracy (RDC/Goma) in Bukavu, at the very time she return from Geneva, where she had participated in the 56th United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
According to the information received from the Collective of Actions for the Developement of Human Rights (CADDHOM) -, on 8th May 2000, from 13.00 p.m to 18.30 p.m., Doctor Collette Kitoga has been interrogated by the security services of the Congolese Rally for Democracy.
According to the same information, Doctor Collette Kitoga's passport has been seized by Mr. Serubuye, chief division of the National Intelligence Service (ARN), the day she crossed the Rwando-Congolese border at Ruzizi, for having allegedly left the RDC territory without permission. Her passport is still retained although Mrs Kitoga was released after five hours of interrogation. According to these information, Collette Kitoga was requested to present herself at the ARN office on 10th May in order to continue the examination of her file. On this occasion, she would have been interviewed once again about the activities of her organization, the « CMM ». Finally, the handing back of her passport required the payment of $100 penalty, and the expression of her recognition that she committed a "fault" when she left the territory to go to the IRCT conference in Zimbabwe. With regards to the circumstances and persistant threats towards human rights defenders and their activities, the Observatory fears for Mrs Collette Kitoga’s security and freedom as well as the work of her organization, the «CMM» which provides assistance to victims of torture and ill-treatment.
The Observatory expresses its grave concern for the extreme insecurity of human rights defenders in South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la
Démocratie (RCD) urging that they
i. to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the Doctor Collette Kitoga ;
ii. put a term of the persecution, arrests, and all the other forms of harrasment against human rights defenders, on the whole territory;
iii. take appropriate measures to guarantee the freedom of action and work of human rights organisations and their members for the promotion and defense of human rights and fundamentals freedom;
iv. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9 1998 (Declaration concerning the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups and institutions to promote and protect universally recognised human rights and fundamental liberties) in particular its Article 1 which provides that " Every person has the right, individually or collectively, to promote the protection and fulfilment of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international level. ", and also its article 9. 3(a) " Every one has the right to complain about policies and actions of individual officials and governmental bodies with regards to violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms ".
v. more generally guarantee the effective respect of fundamental human rights and freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the universal and regional Pacts and Covenants ratified by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Addresses
Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie / Goma par fax 00 871 761 850 629.
Geneva- Paris, 11th may 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of the present appeal.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.1998 Human Rights Prize of The French Republic
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line :Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 4122 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch