Democratic Republic of Congo: Arrests in Case Raised by Human Rights Watch

After Human Rights Watch issued a statement on the abduction and “disappearance” of civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN launched an investigation that unearthed a mass grave with the bodies of more than 30 victims and subsequently arrested 14 soldiers in connection with the killings. In conjunction with Justice Plus, a Congolese human rights organization, Human Rights Watch worked to raise the profile of this atrocity through our press release and direct advocacy with UN representatives and senior officials in the Congolese army. Our efforts together with colleagues helped expose the truth of the massacre and led to arrests, which remain lamentably rare in the long history of abuses committed in Congo by the army and rebel groups alike. Together with Justice Plus we will now follow the case, which came to court in late December 2006, pressing for justice for the victims and their families.