DR Congo opposition calls for release of political prisoners at protest

Hundreds protested in front of Congo’s top court Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures.

After the protest ended, representatives of opposition parties handed the minister of justice a statement accusing Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi of trying to “muzzle the opponents” and “silence dissenting voices.”

The parties called for the release of Jean-Marc Kabund, leader of the Alliance for Change party; Mike Mukebayi, a former member of the provincial parliament for Together for the Republic; and Seth Kikuni, a candidate in the presidential elections last year.

Kabund and Mukebayi were arrested last year for “insulting the head of state” and “spreading false rumors.”

Kabund was sentenced to seven years in prison after he accused the president of corruption and embezzlement, while Mukebayi is currently in prison awaiting trial.

Both are held at the notorious Makala Central Prison, Congo’s largest penitentiary, which has a capacity for 1,500 people but holds more than 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial.

Earlier this month, an attempted jailbreak at the prison left 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility, according to authorities.

Kikuni was arrested earlier this month for “incitement of civil disobedience” and “spreading false rumors” and is currently held by Congo’s intelligence agency.

Last month, Congo announced its intention to apply for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

The decision was heavily criticized by the opposition and various civil society organizations, including the Bill Clinton Peace Foundation, which said Congo does not meet the conditions necessary to claim such a position of international responsibility and that the country’s human rights record would discredit the institution.

The Human Rights Council reviews the human rights records of all countries periodically, appoints independent investigators to report on issues like torture, and sends fact-finding missions to investigate rights violations.

The council has been criticized since its creation in 2006 because of some members’ poor rights records and claims that rights abusers seek seats to protect themselves and their allies.