Abducted because of criticizing the DRC IDP managment in North Kivu
Arbitrary arrest of Assani Murairi Josias a human rights defenders in Goma, DRCongo
On Friday morning July 26th, 2024 Assani was arrested by the National Intelligence Services commonly known as ANR and was detained at their headquarters in Goma, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo in a case that oppose him with Premedus Company in Goma. After interventions from other human rights defenders, Assani was finally released in the evening.
COJESKI North Kivu made the alert and this mobilized other HRDs, we are so concerned by this arbitrary arrest and the involvement of ANR which are not supposed to be part of this harassment.
Emmanuel Kibirima, a human rights defenders abducted in Goma
On the same Friday July 26th, 2024 the Human Rights Defender Emmanuel Kibirima member of the association “Aidons-Nous Vivant” was abducted near Le Volcan Stadium in Goma at around 9 am, as he was in his way back home from his work. The Previous day Emmanuel worked at night, during his free time in that very evening he joined others in a conversation in a WhatsApp Group where they were sharing views on the situation of IDPs, Emmanuel argued that IDPs should be encouraged to go back to their homes even if their villages are still occupied by the M23 backed by Rwanda, so others people also supported this opinion. In the WhatsApp group there were some camps leaders who immediately mobilized the Intelligence Services claiming that all those who supported the return of IDPs were associated to M23, a list then was produced and was available to the security services in Nyiragongo where most of the people in group lived.
After pressure and other advocacy activities Emmanuel was finally released on Sunday around 1am as he was dumped in the Cemetery where security guards managed to get him and helped him to give him where to stay until morning. Emmanuel was tortured and he was in a very critical conditions according, he is now getting treatment in a health center in Goma.