Kinshasa, 26 June 2013 – In the Democratic Republic of Congo, as in the rest of the world, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was celebrated on 26 June. The annual event was marked with a ceremony organized jointly in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) and the Government Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

The Congolese Government was represented at the ceremony by the Justice and Human Rights minister and his deputy. In their messages for the Day, which were read during the ceremony, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, noted that this year was the 25th anniversary of the Committee against Torture, and called on Member States to intensify their efforts « to end torture throughout the world » and « ensure that countries provide reparation for victims ».

Civil society organizations were represented by the President of the Observatoire congolais des Droits de l'Homme (Congolese Observatory of Human Rights), Jacob Balushi, who, in his remarks, recognized that some progress has been made since the promulgation, in 2011, of the Law 11/008 criminalizing torture. Mr. Balushi however deplored that « the use of this practice remains a sad and disturbing reality in this country », and that each day sees individuals become new victims of torture committed by state or government agents, including elements of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), the Republican Guard Unit, the military police or the Congolese National Police (PNC), which suggests "amazingly high levels of impunity".

The UNJHRO's Deputy Director, Mr. Abdoul Aziz Thioye, in his speech stressed the need for a strong commitment to combating impunity, otherwise, he said, the Law criminalizing torture will have no deterrent effect. He noted with satisfaction the "remarkable work" accomplished by the Congolese authorities in completing and establishing relevant legislation, the implementation of which, he said, is evidenced by the subsequent condemnations of at least six soldiers of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), five officers of the PNC, one agent of the ANR and one administrative officer. Mr. Thioye also called on the Government to implement the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture which the DRC ratified in September 2010, and to set up a "national preventive mechanism" involving a system allowing regular visits by independent bodies to detention facilities.

The minister of Justice and Human Rights, for his part, said the United Nations remain a privileged partner of the Government in advancing human rights in the DRC, and especially in combating torture, considering the numerous field visits which have been made jointly with the UNJHRO to organize outreach workshops on the Law criminalizing torture, in all the provinces of the country.

Lukas Knott/MONUSCO