[{"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__307394__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307394","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307394","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307394__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__307394__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307394__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\u003ECongolese authorities arrested at least 128 people in nine cities across the country today as youth movements and opposition parties called for nationwide demonstrations to protest\u00a0the announcement that elections will not be held this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EAn agreement to hold a vote before the end of December was the key commitment in the Catholic Church-mediated agreement signed on New Year\u2019s Eve 2016, after President\u00a0Joseph\u00a0Kabila failed to step down at the end of his constitutionally mandated two-term limit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\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\/32879\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests.jpg?itok=eVsgFPbc 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests.jpg?itok=-mATfLQV 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_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests.jpg?itok=-mATfLQV\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022638\u0022 alt=\u0022Prominent human rights activist and president of the nongovernmental organization Justicia, Timoth\u00e9e Mbuya, was arrested in Lubumbashi on July 31, 2017. \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\u003EProminent human rights activist and president of the nongovernmental organization Justicia, Timoth\u00e9e Mbuya, was arrested in Lubumbashi on July 31, 2017.\u00a0\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2017 Private\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\nAccording to witnesses, security forces arrested at least 57 people today in Goma, 24 in Kinshasa, 10 in Butembo, eight in Beni, eight in Lubumbashi, seven in Mbandaka, five in Kasindi, five in Bukavu, and four in Kindu. Among those arrested were Timoth\u00e9e Mbuya, human rights activist and president of the nongovernmental organization Justicia, as well as members of the youth movement Struggle for Change (LUCHA), journalists, and other peaceful protesters. At least 22 of those arrested have been released.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Goma, authorities arrested several groups of LUCHA activists at different locations as they were trying to enter the provincial office of the electoral commission to hand over their official complaint. Five of them were granted a meeting with the executive secretary, only to be arrested by intelligence officers upon leaving the office, according to fellow activists.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EAuthorities used tear gas in Butembo, Goma, and Bukavu to crack down on the peaceful protesters. In Bukavu, security forces fired live bullets and wounded several protesters, witnesses said. Authorities also dispersed protesters in Kisangani. In the cities of Mbuji-Mayi and Kananga in central Congo, the combination of recent arrests, threats, and the deployment of security forces led activists to cancel planned protests.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EA total of 13 journalists in Goma, Bukavu, Lubumbashi, and Kinshasa were interrogated, temporarily detained and\/or had their material confiscated, according to witnesses, in what has become a very worrying pattern of repression levelled against independent observers in Congo. \u201cThe intelligence officers asked me to come with them to their office. They took my camera, saying they will erase my images,\u201d a journalist in Goma told Human Rights Watch. The journalist eventually got her camera back, but the photographs had been deleted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe coalition of youth movements and human rights organizations that called for the protests\u2014known as the Collective of Civil Society Actions (CASC)\u2014said the protests were meant to show that the\u00a0\u201cpatience of the Congolese people has reached its limit\u201d and that the \u201cmisery overwhelming\u2026the population\u201d will only be resolved by the\u00a0\u201corganization of elections planned for December 2017 and the change in leadership the people are waiting for.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-left embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--left\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\/32880\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests2.jpg?itok=FH3OrkG3 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests2.jpg?itok=hH4DPUNw 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_2017\/201707africa_congo_blog073117arrests2.jpg?itok=hH4DPUNw\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022850\u0022 alt=\u0022Youth movements and opposition parties in Congo called for nationwide demonstrations on July 31, 2017, to protest the announcement by the electoral commission\u2019s president that elections will not be held before the end of December 2017.\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\u003EYouth movements and opposition parties in Congo called for nationwide demonstrations on July 31, 2017, to protest\u00a0the announcement by the electoral commission\u2019s president\u00a0that elections will not be held before the end of December 2017.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2017 Private\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\nCongo\u2019s main opposition leaders backed the protests, as did the country\u2019s conference of Catholic bishops, whose secretary general\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.mo.be\/fr\/actualit\/il-n-y-plus-que-l-insurrection-populaire-pouvant-amener-le-changement-au-congo\u0022\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0earlier this month that \u201conly a popular uprising can bring change to Congo.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ECongo\u2019s trade unions have also started to mobilize.\u00a0On July 21, the collective of public administration trade unions called for an immediate and general strike for all state employees across the country. This was in response to the massive depreciation of the Congolese franc in recent months;\u00a0state employees are losing out on almost half of their salaries, given that they\u2019re still paid 930 Congolese francs per US dollar,\u00a0even though\u00a0the dollar is now valued at\u00a0around\u00a01700 Congolese francs, according to union representatives. The president of the trade union\u2019s collective\u00a0later\u00a0called off the strike when the government agreed to start paying public employees 1425 francs to the dollar, starting in August.\u00a0But the president of the collective told us the strike will go forward if this commitment isn\u2019t respected.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThree trade unions representing doctors and nurses have gone ahead with the strike though, with their members only carrying out a \u201cminimum service\u201d at hospitals and health centers across the country.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EWith frustrations\u00a0already\u00a0so high\u00a0across such a broad spectrum of the Congolese population, it\u2019s likely that tensions will only escalate unless there\u2019s a clear sign of political will for President Kabila to step down by the end of the year and allow for a peaceful, democratic transition. \u00a0\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}]