In July 2023, the organisation Partnership for Integrated Protection (PPI), which works to promote peace and protect human rights defenders, documented “Twenty-three (23) new cases of violations and abuses against human rights defenders, journalists and the media in the Democratic Republic of Congo”.
PPI publishes a monthly monitoring report which is not only one of its advocacy tools for improving the working conditions of human rights defenders (HRDs), but also proof of the various violations so that sooner or later the perpetrators are punished.
In South Kivu province, one (1) journalist was attacked by armed men at his home in Kadutu in the town of Bukavu, while another (1) is being prosecuted before the Bukavu tribunal de grande instance by a political operator. Also in the province of South Kivu, one (1) human rights defender was the victim of an attack by armed men at his home in Bukavu, while in the territory of Kalehe two (2) other human rights defenders are living under death threats from rebels who are members of the “Raia Mutomboki” group active in the Kalima group, in the Buhavu chiefdom. In North Kivu, the president of the civil society coordination office (1) narrowly escaped after his vehicle was attacked by armed bandits. In Mongala province, the commissioner-general in charge of post, telecommunications, new information technologies, communication and the media has banned the broadcasting of all open-phone and messaging (SMS) programmes on all radio and television stations in his area (1). In the provincial city of Kinshasa, one (1) journalist was violently attacked during a meeting organised by an opposition politician.
In Kananga, eleven (11) journalists were injured while covering the activities of an opposition politician visiting this part of the country. In Kasai, three (3) journalists were arrested by the police while covering a march. Outside the Congolese borders, one (1) Congolese journalist was attacked at Addis Ababa airport (Ethiopia) by individuals claiming to be members of the DRC Republican Guard and coming from Moscow.
Below is a brief outline of the process of these violations according to the circumstances, the places, the presumed perpetrators and the current state of the victims.