Democratic Rep. of the Congo: Prominent Human Rights Defender Assassinated

[Up2Late]

(Add this to the pile of News Stories NOT reported in the U.S. and World Media related to the War in the D.R. of Congo, a War that has killed around 4 million people, mainly from war-related hunger and disease. At least Reuters U.K. did print this release too. <http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/ff67003b75e0fa551608e62ffde60182.htm>
This PRESS RELEASE is a Public Document, and therefor not subject to the 4 Paragraph rule)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE


AI Index: AFR 62/011/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 208
1 August 2005

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Prominent human rights defender assassinated
The Congolese government must immediately start thorough and independent investigations into yesterday's assassination of human rights activist Pascal Kabungulu Kibembi, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Front Line said today.

Pascal Kabungulu was the Secretary-General of Héritiers de la Justice (Heirs of Justice), a leading human rights organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was also the Vice-President of the regional umbrella Ligue des Droits de l'Homme dans la Région des Grands Lacs (LDGL).

Pascal Kabungulu was assassinated in his home in Bukavu, eastern Congo, in the early hours of July 31. Three armed men in uniform broke into his house, dragged him out of his bedroom and shot him in front of his family. Family members reported that just before his execution the attackers said, "We were looking for you and today is the day of your death." The men stole Mr. Kabungulu's laptop, a television and a tape recorder.

"Pascal Kabungulu was a highly regarded and courageous defender of human rights who gave hope to ordinary people afflicted by war and misery," the three international human rights organizations said in a joint statement. "Killing a human rights defender means spreading fear across whole communities in Congo."

Héritiers de la Justice is a well-known human rights group that has uncovered grave human rights abuses, including war crimes in eastern DRC. Created in 1991, the organization has been an independent critic of the governments of former Presidents Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Désiré Kabila and the current transitional authorities under Joseph Kabila. The organization has also documented grave abuses by armed groups operating in eastern Congo. Pascal Kabungulu joined Héritiers de la Justice in the mid-1990s and became its Secretary-General in 1999. He had been planning to leave Héritiers de la Justice to take up a position at the LDGL secretariat in Kigali, Rwanda.

The human rights organizations said that threats against human rights defenders in eastern DRC have been on the rise. Since late last year, a growing number of human rights activists across eastern Congo have received death threats after denouncing serious human rights abuses by provincial authorities. Some activists have had to flee the country fearing for their lives. Several members of Mr. Kabungulu's organization, Héritiers de la Justice, based in more rural areas, have been assassinated in the past.

"The government must urgently carry out thorough and independent investigations into Pascal Kabungulu's assassination, and prosecute those responsible," the organizations said. "The insecurity of South Kivu cannot be a pretext for inaction. Those who defend the rights of others must be allowed to continue their work free of harassment and persecution."

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Front Line also called on the Congolese transitional government to develop an effective plan for the protection of human rights defenders, and asked the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo, MONUC, to provide the government with technical and logistical assistance in this endeavor.

For further information, please contact:

Human Rights Watch: Juliane Kippenberg (London), + 44 77 32409058 or Jean-Paul Marthoz (Brussels), + 32 2 7322009
Amnesty International: Véronique Aubert (London), + 44 2074135964
Front Line: Andrew Anderson (Dublin), + 353 1 2123750


Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on [phone]
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org

[sintax]

1. Thank you for bringing this to everyones attention

It really is depressing to see how many comments thoughts and energy go into the mediocre beltway debates and how little come the way of such a soulful character.

Acquisition of Coltan, the mineral used in cell phones and many other high tech gadgets, is one of the primary reasons for the conflicts in the Congo.

Western greed and the technological imperative.

The colonial heart kills from a cold distance fueling conflict all over the world.

[Up2Late]

2. I think it so sad, how few seem to care when people in Africa Die

And how many deaths it takes before people begin to notice.

[wli]

3. or India and Bangladesh

Huge body counts in natural disasters in India go completely unreported in the US MSM.

[Up2Late]

4. I think it's a sort of unspoken Racism, but I guess it's better than...

Cross burnings and Jim Crow Laws.

Things have improved a lot in India (the white man exploiting a different Indian this time), and at least some of the World media is talking about the Floods in Bangladesh (AFP and Reuters are covering it), but Non-War War in the D.R. of Congo is almost completely un-reported about.

[sintax]

5. "Unspoken Racism"

Precisely. Many think we have dealt with this issue, passed a few laws, anyone can ride in the front of the bus, etc. Just words and a few crumbs, nothing substantial. America doesn't wish to fully deal with the "RACE" issue in a meaningful way, or at all.