Case COD 180401

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in the Democratic Republic of
Congo.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the African
Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADHO), a member of
the OMCT network, about the arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention
and the subsequent placement under house arrest of Brazilian Pastor
Carlos Rodrigues and an aide, Mrs. Christine.

According to the information received, Pastor Rodrigues of the
Pentecostal Church of New Jerusalem was arbitrarily arrested by a group
of plain-clothes armed men at around 14.30 on April 6, 2001, and was
transported in a Mercedes 500 to the State Security Committee's
detention facilities in Ngaliema. He was detained incommunicado and
without food at these premises until April 10, after which time he was
placed under house arrest. Similarly, Mrs. Christine was arbitrarily
arrested in her appartment, located in the commune of Gombe, by
members of the armed forces, at around 8.00 in the morning of April
10th, 2001. She was also held incommunicado and without food at the
State Security Committee's premises until she was released on April
11th, 2001. She is also now under house arrest. The motives behind the
arrest and subsequent house arrest remain unclear.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo urging
them to:

1. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and
psychological integrity of Pastor Rodrigues and Mrs. Catherine;
2. order that the restrictions on their movement be lifted in the
absence of valid legal grounds;
3. guarantee an immediate investigation into the circumstances of
these events, identify those responsible, bring them before a
civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil
and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
4. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental
freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national
laws and international human rights standards.

Addresses

- President Joseph Kabila. Présidence de la République, Kinshasa-
Ngaliema, République Démocratique du Congo. Fax (+ 243) 880 02 120

- Minister of Justice, Ministère de la Justice, BP 3137, Kinshasa
Gombé, République Démocratique du Congo. Fax : (+243) 880 55 21

- Minister of Human Rights, Ministre des droits humains, Fax : (+243)
12 20 664

Please also write to the embassies of the Democratic Republic of Congo
in your respective country.

Geneva, April 18, 2001

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal
in your reply.

Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : [email protected]
http://www.omct.org