[{"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__307413__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307413","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307413","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307413__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__307413__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307413__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\u003ELast Friday, 15 alleged perpetrators of a slew of recent attacks in Kinshasa \u2013 including the assault on the city\u2019s central prison in May, which allowed some 4,000 prisoners to escape \u2013 were paraded before the media at police headquarters. The ceremony was attended by numerous, high-ranking officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo \u2013 including the director of the national intelligence agency (ANR), the national police commissioner, the prosecutor general, the governor of the city of Kinshasa, the vice prime minister and interior minister, the justice minister, and the government spokesperson.\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\/32878\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_blogunikin2.jpg?itok=CsfTAGsB 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blogunikin2.jpg?itok=XguPatHg 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_blogunikin2.jpg?itok=XguPatHg\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u00221133\u0022 alt=\u0022On July 21, 2017, Congolese police shot live rounds and used tear gas to disperse students at the University of Kinshasa who protested against the kidnapping of fellow students the day before. \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\u003EOn July 21, 2017, Congolese police shot live rounds and used tear gas to disperse students at the University of Kinshasa who protested against the kidnapping of fellow students the day before.\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\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EMany of the alleged perpetrators are members of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) opposition political party of the late \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/02\/02\/congolese-mourn-death-prominent-opposition-leader\u0022\u003EEtienne Tshisekedi\u003C\/a\u003E. Human Rights Watch has\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/content\/305653\u0022\u003Edocumented\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0numerous cases over the past two months of UDPS members who were victims of illegal arrests or enforced disappearances. At least four of the individuals presented to the press in Friday\u2019s ceremony were among the cases we documented; until that day, their families did not even know where their loves ones were being held or if they were even still alive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EBen Tshimanga, a student at Kinshasa\u2019s Institut Sup\u00e9rieur des Techniques M\u00e9dicales (ISTM), was also in the group of 15. In the early evening on July 20, military intelligence officers wearing civilian clothes with masks covering their faces approached Tshimanga and a group of his friends while they were chatting outside a dormitory at the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), the students later told us. Tshimanga at first managed to escape, but the officers grabbed two of his friends, threw them into a black jeep, and drove away. Tshimanga was then arrested later in the evening and taken to an unknown location.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the friends, Freddy Likambelo, a student at UNIKIN, was taken to a military detention center at Camp Kokolo, he later told us. The other, Aim\u00e9e Lowadji, a nurse and former ISTM student who lives with her aunt at the UNIKIN campus, was detained at the provincial police headquarters, she told us later. Tshimanga, Likambelo, and Lowadji are all members of the UDPS. Lowadji and Likambelo also hold positions with the Mouvement des Tshikedistes pour le Changement (MTC), an international network of UDPS supporters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen other students learned of the arrests that evening, they started to protest but were quickly dispersed by security forces who arrived and fired live bullets in the air, according to several students who were present. The next morning, a larger crowd of students gathered in front of the university\u2019s administrative building, demanding the release of their fellow students and chanting hostile slogans about President Joseph Kabila, who has held on to power beyond the end of his constitutionally mandated two-term limit. Some students threw rocks at the university\u2019s administrative building, shattering its windows, and burned vehicles parked nearby, witnesses said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EFive police jeeps soon arrived at the scene, and police officers fired live bullets and teargas at the protesters. Some students responded by throwing rocks in the direction of the police officers. Several students who appeared to have been hit by bullets were quickly evacuated by the police, according to witnesses. Many other students were beaten by the police or arrested.\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\/32877\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_blogunikin.jpg?itok=f3xXrXg0 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_congo_blogunikin.jpg?itok=7sjQ8La_ 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_blogunikin.jpg?itok=7sjQ8La_\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u00221133\u0022 alt=\u0022On July 21, 2017, Congolese police shot live rounds and used tear gas to disperse students at the University of Kinshasa who protested against the kidnapping of fellow students the day before. \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\u003EOn July 21, 2017, Congolese police shot live rounds and used tear gas to disperse students at the University of Kinshasa who protested against the kidnapping of fellow students the day before.\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\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ELikambelo was released soon after the protest on July 21, and Lowadji was freed on July 22. \u201cSomeone in a face mask interrogated me,\u201d Likambelo later told us. \u201cHe asked if I knew the reason for my arrest, and I said no. Then he threatened me but let me go. He said they were only releasing me because I\u2019m popular and my colleagues had demonstrated for my release, but he warned that they\u2019d be watching me closely.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ETshimanga had been held in detention at an unknown location, without access to his family or lawyer, until he reappeared Friday, his family said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe accusations made by intelligence and police officials at Friday\u2019s ceremony contradict earlier claims by Congo\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/7sur7.cd\/new\/2017\/05\/coup-de-theatre-a-la-prison-de-makala-des-adeptes-de-bundu-dia-kongo-fendent-le-mur-et-reussissent-levasion-de-leur-leader-ne-muanda-nsemi\/\u0022\u003Ejustice\u003C\/a\u003E minister and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/afrique\/20170517-rdc-evasion-massive-prisonniers-apres-attaque-prison-makala\u0022\u003Egovernment spokesperson\u003C\/a\u003E, who blamed the attack on Kinshasa\u2019s prison on followers of the Bundu dia Kongo politico-religious sect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe officials at Friday\u2019s ceremony did not present any evidence or explanation indicating how or why Tshimanga and the others would have orchestrated these attacks. Many fear that the charges are baseless and were brought as part of an effort to silence the political opposition and their supporters. There are also concerns that these accusations might be intended to lay the groundwork for future judicial proceedings against UDPS party leaders and other members.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring Friday\u2019s ceremony, the police also announced they were looking for other suspected assailants still at large and that a payment of US $2,000 would be made to anyone who turned in one of the suspects alive. They cited the names of some of those they were looking for, including the pro-democracy youth activist and former member of the UDPS youth league Rossy Mukendi. Mukendi had been arrested previously on May 17, 2017, with 13 other youth activists who were protesting the bad state of the roads in their neighborhood in Kinshasa. The 13 others were released two days later, while Mukendi was held at a military intelligence detention center, without charge and without access to his family or lawyer, until he was released on June 15.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ECongolese authorities should either urgently release Tshimanga and other opposition and pro-democracy activists, or promptly charge them with a credible offense and ensure they are given a fair and credible trial, free of political interference.\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}]