Human rights in the Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the Republic of the Congo

The Republic of Congo gained independence from French Equatorial Africa in 1960. It was a one-party Marxist-Leninist state from 1969 to 1991. Multi-party elections have been held since 1992, although a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997 civil war and President Denis Sassou Nguesso has ruled for 26 of the past 36 years. The political stability and development of hydrocarbon production made the Republic of the Congo the fourth largest oil producer in the Gulf of Guinea region, providing the country with relative prosperity despite instability in some areas and unequal distribution of oil revenue nationwide.[1]
The Congolese Human Right Observatory claims a number of unresolved and pending issues in the country.
Discrimination against Pygmies is widespread, the result of cultural biases, especially traditional relationships with the Bantu, as well as more contemporary forms of exploitation.

General situation

According to The Congolese Human Right Observatory, notable issues in the country include: unsatisfactory access to water and electricity, the dispossession of indigenous and local communities by multinational corporations in complicity with local authorities, a significant number of political prisoners, repression of foreign journalists via legal proceedings and attacks by police, general limiting of political freedoms, violations of the right to a fair trial, rape and other forms of sexual assault, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, summary executions, ill-treatment within prisons, discrimination and marginalization of indigenous peoples in spite of a specific laws protecting them, and threats against human rights defenders.[2]

Status of Pygmies

According to some reports, the relation between Pygmies and Bantus in some areas of the country is "strained, lopsided and, some say, abusive".[3] While some claim that the bondage is a "time-honored tradition",[3] others point at the fact that Pygmies can be paid "at the master's whim; in cigarettes, used clothing, or even nothing at all."[3]

An investigation in 2003 found that combined rebel forces ran an operation in Ituri province code-named Effacer le tableau (wiping the slate clean).[4] The aim was to rid the jungle of the Congolese pygmy population, estimated to total about 90,000. One of the groups accused of atrocities is the Ugandan-backed Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). The Guardian reported in 2009 on the persecution and subsequent displacement of a group in Chirondo, in the Kabare territory. They were being chased out of their homes as long ago as 1968, when the forest was sold to private interests. In 1998 the attacks were renewed with greater violence until they were dispersed into nearby banana plantations.[5]

On 30 December 2010, the Congo parliament adopted a law for the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. This law is the first of its kind in Africa, and its adoption is a historic development for indigenous peoples on the continent.[6]

A report in 2015 suggests that not much has changed. Pygmies are still being persecuted, now as "poachers". A Bayaka woman in Congo said, “The ecoguards [anti-poaching squads] make us sit here starving. They have ruined our world. If we try to hunt in the forest they beat us so badly. They even kill us if they see us in the forest.” [7]

Media

For main report see Media of the Republic of the Congo

The media is classed as non-free. It is owned or controlled by the government. There is one government-owned television station, three government-owned radio stations, and three private pro-government radio stations, and a government-owned newspaper.[8]

Historical situation

The following chart shows the ROC's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free".[9]1

International treaties

The ROC's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:

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