Home

assassination

DRC: Demand Justice for Floribert Chebeya Bahizireposted on: 2011/06/20

Floribert Chebeya Bahizire was a leading Congolese human rights defender. He was the Director of Voix des Sans Voix (Voice of the Voiceless), a prominent human rights organisation in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Floribert's work led to him being issued with numerous and repetitive threats from police. Finally on the 3rd June Floribert was found dead.

Floribert had been called to central Police headquarters requiring him to attend a meeting with the Inspector General of the Congolese National Police. No reason was given for the meeting. For reasons unknown to Floribert's family Floribert was not able to meet the inspector, and just before 8pm he informed his family by SMS that he was returning to the city.

His body was found the following morning, Wednesday 2 June, in his abandoned car in the outskirts of Kinshasa.

According to police sources, Floribert's body showed no signs of violence. However, the deputy executive director of VSV was not allowed to view the body on 2 June. Fidèle Bazana Edadi, who was Floribert's friend and driver also disappeared on 1 June. The body of Mr Edadi was reportedly found on Thursday 3 June, which would confirm that both human rights defenders were assassinated.

Front Line believes that the presumed assassination of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire is a direct result of his legitimate work in defence of human rights in DRC. Front Line is also gravely concerned for the security of the family of Floribert, Fidele and other members of the VSV. The climate in which human rights defenders work within DRC is becoming increasingly dangerous in an attempt to curtail this type of work.

On 23 June a military court in DRC announced the verdict in the trial of the alleged killers of human rights defender and founder of Voix Des Sans Voix, Floribert Chebeya Bahizire. Four of the accused were sentenced to death, one was sentenced to life imprisonment and three were acquitted.

While Front Line welcomes the conviction of those involved in the killing of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, the organisation urges the DRC Minister for Justice to commute the death sentences.

One of those sentenced to death is Colonel Daniel Mukalay who was Chief of Police Intelligence at the time of the killing of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire and his driver Fidèle Bazana and whom the judge identified as the intellectual author of the crime. At the time of his killing Floribert Chebeya Bahizire was on his way to a meeting with Police General John Numbi who remains suspended from his post "pending investigation". To date there has been no outcome from this investigation and his role in the killing remains unclear.

An additional concern is that three of the policemen sentenced to death were convicted in absentia as they are on the run while no verdict has been issued relative to the killing of Floribert's driver Fidèle Bazana whose body has still not been recovered.

  • Read more
  • Share this

Russian Federation: Demand justice for Natalya Estemirova and help protect human rights defenders at riskposted on: 2011/06/20

Natalya Estemirova was a human rights defender and journalist in the troubled Russian republic of Chechnya. Natalya was abducted from her home in Grozny on the 15th July 2009. A few hours later her body was found in neighbouring Ingushetia. Her hands were bound, two bullets in her chest and one in her head. Her crime: researching and reporting on kidnappings, torture and murders, the 'disappeared' in Chechnya, and about the young men who had been abducted by death squads connected to the security forces. Sometimes I just can't even come to feeling that, because I have such strong other feelings. I try to be very exact about how I go about things and I do have worries about my family and people close to me but I still have to do my work. Of course there are many moments when I feel scared. Natalya Estemirova

Burundi: Joint statement by non-governmental organisations on the second anniversary of the assassination of Ernest Manirumvaposted on: 2011/04/12

When will the truth be revealed about the assassination of Ernest MANIRUMVA? Two years after the assassination of Ernest Manirumva, former Vice-President of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Malpractice Observatory (OLUCOME), the Burundian justice system is struggling to shed light on this crime and investigations remain incomplete.

Further Information

To mark this occasion a coalition of NGOs have issued a joint statement to highlight their concern at the lack of progress on this and:

1. Express concern at the slowness of the Burundian justice system in handling the case of the assassination of Ernest Manirumva. After the trial opened at the Bujumbura Appeals Court on 14 July 2010 and the first hearing was adjourned one month later, it has taken a further four months to issue summonses for all the accused persons. Similarly, more than two months after the Bujumbura Appeals Court ruled that the case should be transferred to the Intermediate Court of Bujumbura, some of the accused, notably those with no fixed address, have still not been issued with a summons and the date for the next hearing has not been set.

2.

Kenya: Wikileaks cable reveals US suspected Kenyan Government involvement in killing of human rights defendersposted on: 2011/03/16

According to some of the latest cables released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, US representatives believed the Kenyan Government to be responsible for the killing of human rights defenders Messrs Oscar Kamau King'ara and John Paul Oulu “GPO” on 5 March 2009.

Further Information

Oscar Kamau King'ara was a lawyer, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Oscar Foundation, a registered charity which offers free legal services to poor people in Kenya. John Paul Oulu “GPO” worked for the Oscar Foundation as Communications and Advocacy Officer. The two human rights defenders were shot dead on 5 March 2009 on Mamlaka Road outside Hall 11 in Nairobi.

According to the leaked cables, the US ambassador to Kenya reported to his superiors in Washington that undercover security agents were responsible for the killing.

DRC - Witnesses claim to have seen police dump body of murderd human rights defender Floribert Chebeya

A witness in the trial of eight police officers accused of the murder of a Democratic Republic of Congo human rights defender on Thursday said locals told him they saw officers transport and then abandon Floribert Chebeya's body.

Floribert Chebeya was Director of La Voix des Sans Voix and one of DRC's most prominent and well respected human rights defenders. His murder sent a message to the human rights community that if he could be killed it could happen to anybody. This is why those who planned the killing as well as those who carried it out must be brought to justice.

Further Information

"Mbala Ndonzvao told the court that local people, whom he has been unable to trace, told him they saw two police jeeps arrive near their homes on the outskirts of Kinshasa accompanied by Chebeya's car.

The vehicles stopped at the side of the road and the person driving the murdered activist's car got out and got into one of the police jeeps.

Tags:
View all blogs

DRC - Witnesses claim to have seen police dump body of murderd human rights defender Floribert Chebeya

A witness in the trial of eight police officers accused of the murder of a Democratic Republic of Congo human rights defender on Thursday said locals told him they saw officers transport and then abandon Floribert Chebeya's body.

Floribert Chebeya was Director of La Voix des Sans Voix and one of DRC's most prominent and well respected human rights defenders. His murder sent a message to the human rights community that if he could be killed it could happen to anybody. This is why those who planned the killing as well as those who carried it out must be brought to justice.

"Mbala Ndonzvao told the court that local people, whom he has been unable to trace, told him they saw two police jeeps arrive near their homes on the outskirts of Kinshasa accompanied by Chebeya's car.

The vehicles stopped at the side of the road and the person driving the murdered activist's car got out and got into one of the police jeeps.

Tags:
View all blogs

DRC: Demand Justice for Floribert Chebeya Bahizireposted on: 2010/10/15

Floribert Chebeya Bahizire was a leading Congolese human rights defender. He was the Director of Voix des Sans Voix (Voice of the Voiceless), a prominent human rights organisation in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Floribert's work led to him being issued with numerous and repetitive threats from police. Finally on the 3rd June Floribert was found dead.

Further Information

Floribert had been called to central Police headquaters requiring him to attend a meeting with the Inspector General of the Congolese National Police. No reason was given for the meeting. For reasons unknown to Floribert's family Floribert was not able to meet the inspector, and just before 8pm he informed his family by SMS that he was returning to the city.

His body was found the following morning, Wednesday 2 June, in his abandoned car in the outskirts of Kinshasa.

According to police sources, Floribert's body showed no signs of violence. However, the deputy executive director of VSV was not allowed to view the body on 2 June. Fidèle Bazana Edadi, who was Floribert's friend and driver also disappeared on 1 June.

Russian Federation: Demand justice for Natalya Estemirova and help protect human rights defenders at riskposted on: 2010/10/12

Natalya Estemirova was a human rights defender and journalist in the troubled Russian republic of Chechnya. Natalya was abducted from her home in Grozny on the 15th July 2009. A few hours later her body was found in neighbouring Ingushetia. Her hands were bound, two bullets in her chest and one in her head. Her crime: researching and reporting on kidnappings, torture and murders, the 'disappeared' in Chechnya, and about the young men who had been abducted by death squads connected to the security forces. Sometimes I just can't even come to feeling that, because I have such strong other feelings. I try to be very exact about how I go about things and I do have worries about my family and people close to me but I still have to do my work. Of course there are many moments when I feel scared. Natalya Estemirova

Further Information

Previous threats made against both Natalya and the organisation she worked for, Memorial, combined with the circumstances of her murder, point to possible government / official involvement in her killing.

HRDs and investigative journalists in Chechnya often face many forms of threats and intimidation.

DRC: Presumed assassination of human rights defender Mr Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, executive director of “La Voix des Sans-Voix”posted on: 2010/06/03

Front Line is extremely concerned following the presumed assassination of human rights defender Mr Floribert Chebaya Bahizire. According to police sources, the body of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire was found in the back of his car on the morning of 2 June 2010 in the outskirts of Kinshasa, after his disappearance had been reported on the evening of 1 June 2010.

Colombia: Assassination of human rights journalist Mr Clodomiro Castilla Ospinaposted on: 2010/03/30

Human rights defender Mr Clodomiro Castilla Ospina was shot dead in Montería in Northern Colombia on 19 March 2010. Clodomiro Castilla Ospina was the editor and publisher of the local magazine El Pulso del Tiempo and a reporter with the Bloque Informativo at the Voz de Montería radio station.