In a nation that has experienced three decades of brutal dictatorship, followed by almost 15 years of war, Christian Aid’s partner organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) live and work against a backdrop of poverty and a legacy of endemic corruption.
The recent armed death threat against Emmanuel Lubala Mugisho, president of leading Congolese human rights organisation Héritiers de la Justice [2], once again brings into sharp focus the enormous risks many take through their courageous work in the DRC.
The violent attack, the latest incident in a long-established trend of targeting human rights activists and journalists, happened just a week after the murder of Congolese civil liberties activist Floribert Chebeya, and less than five years since the murder of Héritier’s late secretary general, Pascal Kabungulu.
On 31 July 2005 Kabungulu was assassinated in his home in front of his family for his knowledge of illicit gold mining in Kamituga, South Kivu, for his help in exposing the use of rape as a weapon of war in eastern Congo, for his persistent defence of human rights and for his documentation of serious human rights abuses in the DRC. He shares the fate of a long line of human rights defenders and journalists who have been attacked as a result of their efforts to help build the rule of law and accountability in the DRC.
Indeed, Héritiers de la Justice has a long record of documenting human rights abuses. It denounced those committed by former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko when the country was Zaire, and later by former president Laurent Kabila and the current government, headed by Kabila's son, Joseph. It has also documented serious abuses committed by the armed groups which have terrorised eastern Congo since civil war broke out in 1998.
The film Héritiers de la Justice [3].
* Emma Pomfret is Christian Aid’s Africa editor.
* Interview conducted and transcribed by Emma Pomfret, with questions by Alex Free.
* Héritiers de la Justice is a longstanding partner of Christian Aid.
* Please send comments to [email protected] [4] or comment online at Pambazuka News [5].
LINKS
[1] Héritiers de la Justice website: http://www.heritiersdelajustice.org [2]
[2] Pascal Kabungulu, obituary in the Guardian, 24 August 2005, http://bit.ly/btfeBZ [6]
[3] Letter to President Kabila, 7 September 2005, Re: Assassination of Pascal Kabungulu Kibembi, Executive Secretary Héritiers de la Justice (from AI, Christian Aid, HRW and Frontline Defenders), http://bit.ly/ajFj9F [7]
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/491/maurice_namwira.jpgSome [10] five years after the assassination of Pascal Kabungulu, formerly secretary general of DRC human rights group Héritiers de la Justice, Maurice Namwira, the organisation’s executive secretary, discusses activism, impunity from justice and Héritier’s work with Christian Aid with Emma Pomfret.
Links
[1] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/6703
[2] http://www.heritiersdelajustice.org
[3] http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/491/maurice_namwira2.gif right]Maurice NamwiraPAMBAZUKA NEWS: Five years on from the assassination of Pascal Kabungulu, how would you say the political climate has developed for civil society and human rights activists in the DRC? </p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: After the assassination of Pascal we have seen that the number of activists killed hasn’t stopped or slowed down despite the denunciations, alerts and demands made by human rights organisations. </p> <p>PAMBAZUKA NEWS: What are the main means of organising people when it comes to activism in the DRC?</p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: One of the principal means of organising people is by networking at all levels, from the bottom up and through actions such as awareness-raising work with all the different social classes (civilians, soldiers, civil servants, religious leaders, students, politicians, etc) in order that they know their basic rights and freedoms, and human rights education in schools and with various social groups to help people to understand the existing mechanisms for enforcing respect for human dignity.</p> <p>It is also very important to maintain an open dialogue with authorities about their responsibilities to protect and promote human rights and their duty to guarantee universally recognised fundamental freedoms.</p> <p>Finally, it’s vital to invite the political authorities in the DRC to work towards establishing a legal framework which guarantees the rights of all and the welfare of the people.</p> <p>PAMBAZUKA NEWS: ‘Weapons of Impunity' is a powerful title to describe the attempts of those in power to instil fear and keep voices silent. How would you describe the way in which this 'impunity' operates and the challenges it presents for activists seeking to establish the rule of law? </p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: In various ways, even the authorities at all levels sometimes admit now and then to the existence of the problems of insecurity, impunity, abuses by the army and police and the threats and attacks against human rights defenders. These problems are well known by all Congolese people. What is so far missing to bring about the change we seek (an end to impunity) are effective measures on the ground and at the different levels of power that will definitively eradicate impunity, for example the re-opening of judicial proceedings for Pascal Kabungulu’s case, which is in suspense since 2006 – this is the same for the murder of journalist Didace Namujimbo … here are many other similar cases. Until such measures are taken, those responsible for these crimes remain unpunished and free to commit new crimes. </p> <p>PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Civil society, naturally, has a very important role to play as a country moves forward. How would you say Héritiers de la Justice is viewed among ordinary Congolese? </p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: What is meant by an ordinary Congolese? We are all equal before the law. There aren’t those who are ordinary and those who are special. It is this differentiation that often causes problems to our people, when some people think they're ordinary and others special. People trust the work of human rights defenders and because of this we are often consulted for advice or assistance when they have problems.</p> <p>The fact that many compatriots base their hopes on the work of human rights defenders became very clear following the deaths of activists and journalists such as Pascal Kabungulu, Maheshe, Didace Namujimbo, Floribert Chebeya, Muhind, when the public spoke out to expose these heinous murderers, demanding justice and an independent investigation so that the truth be known.</p> <p>PAMBAZUKA NEWS: In addition to documenting human rights abuses, it seems that one of the key objectives of Héritiers de la Justice is to work towards establishing the rule of law in the DRC. When it comes to tackling impunity, debate rages in countries like Kenya about the rule of external institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). In your view, is justice something to be sought internally, or should Congolese also look outside their country? </p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: This is true and cannot be questioned in light of the testimonies of our local communities. This can also be seen through the proven results of the work we have carried out with support from Christian Aid. From 1998 to 2007 Christian Aid supported Héritiers de la Justice’s extensive human rights and peace education programme in schools. </p> <p>We should remember that the Congolese are not isolated from the rest of the world. What Congo is living through today has been experienced elsewhere and the lessons learnt have helped others to build a new world which puts the welfare of the collective at the centre. These states – which are now stable and have already gone down the difficult path Congo is on today – should help Congolese leaders to strive towards developing a culture of excellence, respect for the common good and an equitable distribution of wealth. This must be done without forgetting to put into place projects that will have visible impacts in fighting poverty and other causes of human rights violations. </p> <p>PAMBAZUKA NEWS: Do you have links with other civil society and activist organisations across the region facing similar struggles?</p> <p>MAURICE NAMWIRA: The situation for human rights defenders in the Great Lakes region is not an easy one as they are misunderstood as being the enemies of politicians. Government leaders need to recognise that civil society organisations and human rights defenders are advocating for and, like them, striving for the well-being of our people, even though our approaches may differ. For it is said that things come to light through the clashing of ideas. </p> <p>Thus all the present threats should give way to cooperation and a positive collaboration to go beyond selfish interests in favour of the general, public interest. This misunderstanding is sadly the cause of the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment suffered by the human rights defenders in the Great Lakes region who are wrongly threatened, arrested and killed.</p> <p>BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS </p> <p>* Maurice Namwira is executive secretary of <a href=
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