[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__297210__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"297210","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/297210","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__297210__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__297210__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__297210__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESecurity forces in the eastern city of Bunia arrested five members of the pro-democracy youth movement Struggle for Change (LUCHA) on Thursday as a United Nations official warned of the danger of \u201csilencing critical voices\u201d in the Democratic Republic of Congo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/30353\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-12-drc-congo-africa-kabila-bye-bunia.jpg?itok=gRQWZgDh 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-12-drc-congo-africa-kabila-bye-bunia.jpg?itok=bPiNufOp 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2016\/2016-12-drc-congo-africa-kabila-bye-bunia.jpg?itok=bPiNufOp\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u00221417\u0022 alt=\u0022Sign from the Bye Bye Kabila campaign launch in Bunia.\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003ESign from the Bye Bye Kabila campaign launch in Bunia.\u00a0\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2016 Private\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe arrests came as the activists were trying to hold a press conference to urge President Joseph Kabila to leave office at the end of his constitutionally mandated \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis\u0022\u003Etwo-term limit\u003C\/a\u003E on December 19. A journalist was also arrested. They remain in detention at time of writing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EOn Saturday, LUCHA together with the youth movement Filimbi, and youth wings of the Rassemblement opposition coalition and the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) opposition party, had \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis\u0022\u003Elaunched\u003C\/a\u003E the \u201cBye Bye Kabila\u201d campaign in the capital, Kinshasa. Authorities \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis\u0022\u003Ebanned\u003C\/a\u003E the planned meeting and briefly detained an activist and journalist. Two days earlier, on November 24, Filimbi activist Jeef Mabika was arrested by Congolese security forces. He was provisionally released on Thursday after putting up bail. Totoro Mukenge, president of the Union of Congolese Youth for Change (UJCC), was also released on Friday, after being held incommunicado by the intelligence agency, without charge or access to his family or lawyers, since September 16.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/NewsEvents\/Pages\/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20969\u0026amp;\u0026amp;LangID=E\u0022\u003Epress statement\u003C\/a\u003E, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kaye said \u201cthe silencing of critical voices through arrests, censorship and other forms of government control poses risks for the stability of the country which is already in a seriously fragile state.\u201d He added that \u201cfreedom of expression in the DRC has increasingly been threatened by the criminalization of critics and the opposition, including the use of harsh punishments.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso on Thursday, the European Parliament denounced the increasingly restricted political space, called for the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners, and urged the European Union to adopt targeted sanctions against senior Congolese government and security forces officials \u201cresponsible for the violent repression of demonstrations and the political impasse which is preventing a peaceful and constitutional transition of power,\u201d notably Kalev Mutond, Maj. Gen. John Numbi, Gen. Ilunga Kampete, Maj. Gen. Gabriel Amisi Kumba, and Gen. C\u00e9lestin Kanyama.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]