Today’s article focuses on training human rights defenders on monitoring human rights violations during electoral periods. Organized by the Justicia Asbl association, this training brought together more than twenty participants from November 6 to 8, 2023 in Lubumbashi, in Haut-Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This initiative comes a few days before the start of the electoral campaign for the general elections.
The objective of this training, according to Timothée Mbuya, head of Justicia Asbl, is to create a group of people who will become observers following the current electoral process. Thus, these human rights defenders were trained in different monitoring techniques and evidence collection during electoral periods. During the election campaign, they will observe human rights violations on the ground and serve as observers on behalf of Justicia. Several observers will be deployed in different offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
One of the important aspects of this training is the need to document human rights violations during electoral periods. Indeed, many violations go unpunished due to lack of sufficient evidence before the judicial authorities. This is why the participants were also trained in the techniques of writing reports, press releases and denunciations. This documentation will serve as a database for the competent authorities and will enable better justice.
This training is of particular importance as the country prepares for general elections and election campaigning is about to begin. It will enable human rights defenders to be better prepared to observe and respond to human rights violations during this crucial period.
In conclusion, training human rights defenders on monitoring human rights violations during elections is an important initiative to ensure respect for fundamental rights during elections. By providing them with the necessary tools to document violations and act as observers, this training contributes to strengthening justice and human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sources:
– Article: https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/11/09/formation-des-defenseurs-des-droits-de-lhomme-sur-le-monitoring-des-violations-des-droits-de-lhomme -in-election-period/
– Justicia Asbl: https://justicia-asbl.org/