Arrestation des deux activistes à Kinshasa, Kalonji et Maître Mbikayi

Le Vendredi 23 Juin, à 16h30 heure de Kinshasa, Jean-Marie Kalonji, le Coordinateur du groupe rassemblant la jeunesse Quatrième voie/Il Est Temps, a été détenu par les forces armées Congolaises. Rendant visite à un membre de sa famille, les forces de l’ordre ont arrêté Jean-Marie dans le voisinage de Salongo, dans la commune Lemba de Kinshasa. Il a été interrogé puis sommé de produire ses papiers d’identité. Il n’avait pas ses papiers sur lui. Le personnel de l’armée Congolaise l’a ensuite soudainement envoyé au camp Bumba. Aucun motif n’a été renseigné pour son arrestation.

Quand les nouvelles de l’arrestation de Jean-Marie arrivèrent à la direction de Quatrième Voie, Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi, avocate sympathisante et porte-parole de Quatrième voie, s’est rendue auprès de son collègue. À son arrivée au camp Bumba, Sylva Mbikayi fut aussi détenue. Les deux leaders sont actuellement détenus par les forces armées Congolaises à la DEMIAP (Détection militaire des activités anti-patrie) sans inculpation ni motif.

Quatrième Voie a publié un communiqué de presse à l’attention des forces armées Congolaises et du gouvernement Kabila demandant la libération immédiate de leurs leaders.

C’est la deuxième fois que Jean-Marie Kalonji est arrêté par le régime Kabila. La première fois remonte à Décembre 2015 quand il fut kidnappé par les Services de Renseignement Congolais, une détention longue de plusieurs mois durant laquelle il fut torturé dans un lieu gardé secret. C’est seulement lorsque de sérieuses interrogations sur son état furent soulevées – s’il était mort ou vivant – et grâce aux pressions exercées par la jeunesse Congolaise et des sympathisants extérieurs sur le gouvernement Congolais qu’il fut transféré à la prison de Makala. Après un temps à la prison de Makala, il fut relâché en Août 2016 mais a depuis été sous l’étroite surveillance du régime Kabila.

Les mesures répressives prises par le régime Kabila se sont intensifiées alors qu’il tente de garder le pouvoir contre la volonté du peuple Congolais. L’Église Catholique de RDC a publié une déclaration le 23 Juin expliquant qu’une minorité tient des millions de Congolais en otage. L’Église a déclaré que cela est inacceptable et encourage la population à s’engager afin de reprendre le contrôle de son destin.

Nous vous encourageons à partager ce récit largement et à appeler les autorités Congolaises à relâcher Jean-Marie Kalonji et Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi.

Mrs. Marie-Ange Mushobekwa
Ministère des droits humain
Place Royal
Kinshasa-Gombe
Democratic Republic of Congo
Email: mushobekwa.likulia@gmail.com
Twitter:  @MushobekwaMa

Cultural center warns against DRC’s move to silence artists’ voices

For Immediate Release

Goma – Monday 26 th 2017. The Nyavu Network, regrouping 7 cultural centers across the Great Lakes region and southern Africa calls for the immediate release of four artists detained by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

On Friday June 23 rd , photographer Mugabo Baritegera, visual artist Benito Mupenzi, In situ performance installator Precy Numbi and Taylor Ndungo were arrested during a live performance calling for the end of the ongoing massacres in the regions of Beni (eastern DRC) and Kasaï (centre of the country). The live exhibition was going on at Signers crossroad, in the town of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.

"These artists and many of us who work through art and creativity in this country are trying to foster positive open dialogue in a moment when we need to come together in peace and cooperation. Silencing the art voices now is like stifling a nonviolent and cooperation voice" said internationally acclaimed filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, Director and Co-Founder of Yole!Africa, member of the Nyavu Network.

The four artists have been transferred to Goma central prison and waiting for their trial. Since August 2016, the death of Kasaï traditional leader Kamwena Nsapu in fighting with security forces deteriorated into a violent conflict that has claimed lives of more than 3 000 people, according to the Catholic Church. The UN discovered more than 42 mass graves in the region in the region and counted more than 1.3 millions internally displaced people as the result of the conflict.

Civil society and human rights organizations have been calling for an independent investigation to clarify responsibilities in the violence; a call that doesn’t resonate with DRC government.

“In a country that has been torn by conflict for decades, silencing nonviolent artists will reinforce among youth the dangerous perception that violence is the only language to be heard” added Mr. Ndaliko.

Being a member of the Nyavu Network, Yole!Africa, an organization that has been promoting nonviolent activism in DRC since 15 years, serving more than 17 000 youth, is closely following hopes that the government will engage in a more cooperative process when dealing with artists speaking out for the general masses.

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For further details or book an interview, please, contact Gaius Kowene via
email communication@yoleafrica.org or call +243 973 95 00 95.

Free Jean-Marie and Sylva: Dispatches from the Ground

The reality of young Congolese fighting to get their comrades Jean Marie Kalonji and Sylva Mbikayi out of military detention.

• Unknown numbers are calling the current leaders with death threats. The person on the line shared very personal information about these leaders in order to demonstrate that they have been following them for a while.

• They have been followed throughout the city by pickup trucks in the past 48 hours. Two cars of family members of the detained youth have been set ablaze.

• When going to the DEMIAP military detention center to seek information on the detained youth, the soldiers issue death threats to the advocates.

• When going to seek support from the human rights office at the UN mission (MONUSCO), the response is that they don't have anyone available on the weekends and someone will follow up next week.

• Some people in the whatsapp groups the arrested leaders were a part of are receiving anonymous calls and threats as well

• An attorney from a local and internationally known organization did not want to go to DEMIAP. He said "if they arrested Sylva knowing he is an attorney, I may get arrested if I go there too. Let me get a few other attorneys and we will go there next week."

The movement of the youth leaders is compromised. The Kabila regime has agents throughout the country, especially in Kinshasa on University campuses. The threat to the lives of the youth is real, yet they continue to go out to demand the release of their leaders from military detention. If you don't call it courage... I don't know what courage is then.

Kambale Musavuli
Spokesperson
Friends of the Congo

Take action to support the Congolese Youth!

On Friday, June 23 at 4:30 PM Kinshasa time, the Coordinator of the youth group Quatrieme Voie/Il Est Temps, Jean-Marie Kalonji was detained by the Congolese armed forces. On a visit to a family member, Congolese security forces stopped Jean-Marie in the Salongo neighborhood in the Lemba commune of Kinshasa. He was interrogated and then asked to produce identification. He did not have his identification with him. The Congolese military personnel then whisked him away to camp Bumba. No reason was given for his arrest.

When news about Jean Marie's arrest reached the Quatrieme Voie leadership, fellow attorney and Quatrieme Voie spokesperson, Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi went to see about his colleague. Upon arrival at camp Bumba, Sylva Mbikayi was also detained. The two Quatrieme Voie leaders are currently being held by the Congolese armed forces at the Military Detection of Unpatriotic Activities (DEMIAP) without charge or cause.

Quatrieme Voie released a press statement calling on the Congolese armed forces and the Kabila regime to immediately release their two leaders.

This is the second time that Jean-Marie Kalonji has been arrested by the Kabila regime. The first time was in December 2015 when he was kidnapped and disappeared by Congo's intelligence Services during which time he was tortured and held incommunicado for several months. It was only after serious questions about whether he was alive or dead and intense pressure by Congolese youth and supporters outside Congo that the Congolese government produced Jean-Marie and moved him to the Makala prison. After a period in the Makala prison, he was released and has been under close watch by the Kabila regime since his release in August 2016.

The repressive measures taken by the Kabila regime has increased substantially as he attempts to hold on to power against the will of the Congolese people. Congo's Catholic Church issued a declaration on June 23rd in which it stated that a small minority is holding millions of Congolese hostage. The Church said this is "unacceptable" and exhorted the people to stand up, get more engaged and take their destiny into their own hands.

We encourage you to share this story widely and call on the Congolese authorities to immediately release Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Kabanga Mbikayi.

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