Kinshasa, January 20th, 2023 (CPA).- The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (BCNDH) expressed, on Thursday in Kinshasa, the wish to see Democratic Republic of Congo participate in the meeting of the Human Rights Council the man who will be held in February 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland, learned the CPA from the ministry in charge of justice. “We wanted to meet the Minister of State which manages a key sector for peace, security and development… It was an opportunity to talk about upcoming dates, in particular the high-level session of the Human Rights Council, which will take place at the end of February 2023, and I think this is an opportunity for DRC to be able to participate at a higher level in this concert of Nations », declared the country director of the BCNDH, Abdoul Aziz Thioye, to the outcome of discussions with the Minister of State in charge of Justice, Rose Mutombo.
“Many Heads of State and Government will take part alongside the United Nations Secretary General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It will be a good opportunity for the Head of State Felix Tshisekedi, who could make the trip, to be able to discuss with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights”, he underlined.
The two personalities also discussed about the visit envisaged very soon, by the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in charge of human rights issues in DRC to meet and work with the Congolese authorities.
« We have started to work together, particularly on the issue of transitional justice, criminal prosecutions, but also on the issue of prisons, which are areas in which the Ministry of Justice has made very significant progress, » said Abdoul. Aziz Thioye.
He welcomed the progress made in the field of justice, particularly with regard to the appeal procedure against decisions made before the operational military courts. “After a few months of his arrival at the Ministry of Justice, we were able to solve a long-standing problem that has persisted. It was the absence of the double degree of jurisdictions and the procedure of the appeals of the decisions rendered before the operational military Courts. This had been identified as a problem at the international level”, maintained the country director of the BCNDH.
For him, the other successes of DRC in the field of justice are linked to the improvement of the conditions of detention in the penitentiary centres of the country.
CPA/MATONDO
