On 28 November 2011, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held its second presidential and parliamentary elections since the end of the Transition Period in 2006. These elections, intended to be calm, transparent and illustrative of the country’s democratic progress, took place in an atmosphere of high tension, interspersed with acts of political intolerance and violence that claimed many lives. Between the 29 November 2011 and 20 January the UNJHRO deployed an investigation team to investigate the human rights violations which had occurred in Kinshasa between 26 November and 25 December 2011. The team collected about 110 testimonies of serious human rights violations, in particular the rights to life, physical integrity, freedom and security of person perpetrated by members of security and defence forces. The team documented 33 cases of civilians killed, 83 cases of civilians being wounded and the arrest and detention of 265 people due to their proven or suspected support for the opposition. It should be noted, however, that the team encountered difficulties in accessing detention centres and hospitals, reducing its ability to collect information. The number of grave human rights violations could thus be much higher. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for the authorities of the DRC and the international community.

Date of publication: 20 March 2012
Original language: French