The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Denis Mukwege, strongly condemned the repression of the opposition march which was to take place in Kinshasa on May 20. According to him, “police violence” is proof that the Congolese state risks sinking into a “dictatorial drift”. In a public statement, he said he was particularly shocked by “the police violence, including on defenseless children, and the climate of repression” which reigned during the demonstration.
Denis Mukwege’s reaction follows the Congolese authorities’ ban on the opposition march and the use of force to prevent it from taking place, resulting in several injuries. The opposition leader and his supporters were prevented from reaching the rallying point to begin their peaceful demonstration.
The Nobel Peace Prize also called on the authorities to guarantee the freedom of citizens to assemble, express themselves and demonstrate peacefully, which are fundamental freedoms in a democratic society. He also insisted on the need for legal proceedings and sanctions against the elements of the Congolese national police responsible for the “exactions”.
This situation is alarming and arouses the concern of the international community and Congolese civil society. Human rights violations in the DRC have become commonplace and the violence continues to deprive citizens of the exercise of their most basic rights. Calls for justice and human rights must not remain in vain, but be followed by concrete measures to end repression and violence in the DRC