Activists from the citizens’ movement Lutte pour leChange (Lucha RDC-Afrique) were recently arrested in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, while demonstrating against the coinage of duplicate voter cards. This practice involves demanding bribes from citizens to obtain a copy of their voter card, issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
The demonstration, described as peaceful by the organizers, aimed to denounce this practice and the delay in issuing duplicates to replace illegible enrollment cards. Unfortunately, more than a dozen activists were arrested during this march. They were taken to Goma town hall where they spent the night in detention.
These arrests come on top of other cases of political repression that have occurred recently in DR Congo. Another demonstration, organized by activists demanding drinking water in the city of Goma, was also repressed and several activists were arrested. For several months, drinking water has become a scarce resource in many parts of the city, forcing residents to take risks by getting their supplies from Lake Kivu.
This repression by the authorities highlights the difficulties that activists and citizens’ movements face when trying to make their voices heard and claim their rights. These arbitrary arrests and the repression of peaceful demonstrations are flagrant violations of freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate peacefully.
The Fight for Change movement (Lucha RDC-Afrique) continues to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested activists and to denounce these practices of coinage of voter cards. They stress the importance of a transparent and fair electoral process, guaranteeing the rights of citizens to participate fully in the political life of their country.
It is crucial to support citizen movements and human rights defenders in the DR Congo, and to put pressure on the authorities to end the repression and guarantee respect for the fundamental rights of all citizens