Christian Hemedi is involved in fighting impunity for crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed as part of the armed conflict in the Congo (1996 - 2007). The organisation works to reform the Congolese justice system in order to prosecute the perpetrators of international crimes and also work to support the work of the International Criminal Court in DRC. This is done through documenting cases, assisting victims in their contact with the International Criminal Court, helping investigators with their work on the ground, organising awareness raising sessions for the public on the International Criminal Court and publishing manuals for distribution both to the general public and to public authorities.

Human rights defenders and journalists constantly in danger at risk of their lives - The DRC is currently going through a post conflict period, which left its marks by a generalised insecurity due to the impunity for crimes committed during the wars between 1996 and 2003. The impunity is organised mainly given that most of the belligerents were attributed positions of responsibility in the political system and in the military system on account of the Pretoria agreements. By doing so, they are protected from the pursuit for the crimes they allegedly committed over the war period.

Several human rights defenders and journalists have received death threats, have been killed, imprisoned, physically assaulted and arbitrarily arrested in Kinshasa as well as in the inside of the country. Franck Ngyke and his wife, Pascal Kabungulu, Serge Maheshe and Bapua Mwamba have been killed because of their legitimate work as human rights defenders. Daily, human rights defenders have to deal with assaults and threats. This situation of insecurity is even more marked in the eastern part of the country where armed conflicts are still current between dissident armed groups and foreign opposition forces.

The intervention of the ICC (International Criminal Court) in DRC has fostered, among the inhabitants, the hope to see judicial proceedings taken against the political and military executives to blame for the war crimes and the crimes against humanity.

This prospect has generated assaults against NGO coordinators who work for the ICC to such an extent that some of them had to flee their country, more especially in the region of Ituri. NGOs which work with the victims are today threatened and denigrated. This is why, it is very important to build up a working group which will aim to protect the rights of human rights defenders, to aid them and to prevent any problem.

The work realised by Front Line in order to communicate on the situation of human rights defenders throughout the world, is crucial.

Christian Hemedi President of Association pour la Renaissance des droits humains au Congo (Association for the Renew of Human Rights in Congo), ARC Asbl
Coordinator of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court