Democratic Republic of Congo
26.04.00
Urgent Interventions
D.R. Congo: Detention / torture
Case COD 310502
Arbitrary detention / ill-treatment
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brief description of the facts
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by La Voix des Sans Voix pour les droits de l'homme (VSV), a member of the OMCT network, that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck, a Political and Administrative Sciences student at the university of Lubumbashi (UNILU), was arbitrarily arrested on April 16th, 2002.
According to the information received, Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck was arrested without a warrant or other official orders on April 16th, 2002, by various policemen, while he was carrying out an internship at the Grande Poste de Lubumbashi, in the province of Katanga. He was taken to the headquarters of the Police Special services where he was detained for 15 days, during which period he was forced to sleep on the ground with one arm tied to a chair. Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck was then transferred to the Inspection provinciale of the police in Katanga where he was held for a period of four days, and was subsequently taken by the direction provinciale de Agence Nationale de Renseignements ANR in Katanga. On May 12th, 2002, he was transferred to the ANR/direction sécurité intérieure, in Kinshasa, where he is currently in detention.
According to the report, it is thought that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck is the victim of slander from Mr. Tsomba Mulowayi, an old college at the collège de l’Université de Bukavu, province of Sud-Kivu, who told the special police that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck had infiltrated into the service of Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocracie (RCD)/Goma and Rwanda.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo urging them:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck;
· order that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck be released immediately in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
§ S.E Président Joseph Kabila. Présidence de la République, Kinshasa-Ngaliema, République Démocratique du Congo ; Fax (+ 243) 880 02 120, Email : upp@ic.cd
§ Ministre de la Justice, Ministère de la Justice et Garde des Sceaux, BP 3137, Kinshasa Gombé, République Démocratique du Congo ; Fax : (+243) 880 55 21, E-mail : minjust@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre des droits humains, Ministère des droits humains ; Fax : (+243) 12 20 664, E-mail : mindroits_humains@yahoo.fr, Min_droitshumains@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre de l’Intérieur, Ministère de l’Intérieur, Fax : 00 243 88 02 042, E-mail : djo@ic.cd
§ Ministre de la Défense, Ministère de la Défense, Fax : 00 243 12 20 981, E-mail : ghimasengo@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre de la Communication, Ministère de la Communication, Fax : 00 243 12 61 205
§ Procureur Général de la République, B.P. : 7016 Kinshasa/Gombe, Fax : 00 243 12 20 843
Please also write to the diplomatic representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in your country.
Geneva May 31st, 2002
Arbitrary detention / ill-treatment
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brief description of the facts
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by La Voix des Sans Voix pour les droits de l'homme (VSV), a member of the OMCT network, that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck, a Political and Administrative Sciences student at the university of Lubumbashi (UNILU), was arbitrarily arrested on April 16th, 2002.
According to the information received, Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck was arrested without a warrant or other official orders on April 16th, 2002, by various policemen, while he was carrying out an internship at the Grande Poste de Lubumbashi, in the province of Katanga. He was taken to the headquarters of the Police Special services where he was detained for 15 days, during which period he was forced to sleep on the ground with one arm tied to a chair. Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck was then transferred to the Inspection provinciale of the police in Katanga where he was held for a period of four days, and was subsequently taken by the direction provinciale de Agence Nationale de Renseignements ANR in Katanga. On May 12th, 2002, he was transferred to the ANR/direction sécurité intérieure, in Kinshasa, where he is currently in detention.
According to the report, it is thought that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck is the victim of slander from Mr. Tsomba Mulowayi, an old college at the collège de l’Université de Bukavu, province of Sud-Kivu, who told the special police that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck had infiltrated into the service of Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocracie (RCD)/Goma and Rwanda.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo urging them:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck;
· order that Mr. Kitenge Baruani Franck be released immediately in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
§ S.E Président Joseph Kabila. Présidence de la République, Kinshasa-Ngaliema, République Démocratique du Congo ; Fax (+ 243) 880 02 120, Email : upp@ic.cd
§ Ministre de la Justice, Ministère de la Justice et Garde des Sceaux, BP 3137, Kinshasa Gombé, République Démocratique du Congo ; Fax : (+243) 880 55 21, E-mail : minjust@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre des droits humains, Ministère des droits humains ; Fax : (+243) 12 20 664, E-mail : mindroits_humains@yahoo.fr, Min_droitshumains@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre de l’Intérieur, Ministère de l’Intérieur, Fax : 00 243 88 02 042, E-mail : djo@ic.cd
§ Ministre de la Défense, Ministère de la Défense, Fax : 00 243 12 20 981, E-mail : ghimasengo@yahoo.fr
§ Ministre de la Communication, Ministère de la Communication, Fax : 00 243 12 61 205
§ Procureur Général de la République, B.P. : 7016 Kinshasa/Gombe, Fax : 00 243 12 20 843
Please also write to the diplomatic representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in your country.
Geneva May 31st, 2002