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Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc - There is More Work to Be Done in the Fight Against Impunity
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United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
INTERVIEW
27 June 2008
Posted to the web 27 June 2008
Eoin Young & Nina Yacoubian
The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is held every year on June 26. We interviewed MONUC Human Rights division deputy director Mr. Louis Marie Bouaka, who gave an assessment of the situation, and the measures being taken in the fight against torture and cruel and degrading treatment in the DRC.
What does the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture mean for you?
The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, commonly called the Day Against Torture, highlights the rejection of torture, as well as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. It also highlights the wish that victims of torture be compensated and rehabilitated back into society.
Therefore, it is a continuous fight, and since 1997, the United Nations General Assembly decided that this day be devoted to the support of victims because its the year in which the United Nations convention against torture came into effect.
One often speaks in the DRC about victims of violence sexual; What distinction do you make between victims of sexual violence and victims of torture?
There is no distinction because since the coming into effect of the Statute of the International Criminal Court and since the Security Council resolutions, sexual violence is considered as torture. Thus we regard sexual violence victims in the same way as torture victims.
What kinds of torture are concerned on this day?
On this day, any kind of torture is concerned; there is physical torture, and psychological torture. Physical torture is where there is an attack on the physical integrity of an individual, and sexual violence is considered in this category.
Who are the main victims in the DRC?
There are many categories: women, men and children. There are much more women and minors who are victims of sexual violence which often occurs in conflict zones, in zones of insecurity, and even there are some cases in zones where there is peace, but the perpetrators are men in uniform.
I want to indicate that when one speaks about sexual violence, one does not identify only men in uniform, but there are also cases within the family or the community, which are often cases of rapes and are regarded as crimes.
But in relation to other forms of torture which are perpetrated in detention centres, or in interrogation offices where an individual is arrested, then it cannot be denied that government officials are not guilty of such acts.
What are the measures being taken against acts of torture, and what is MONUC doing so that torture is eradicated in prisons and detention centres in the DRC?
We installed a very positive mechanism with the military and police authorities, which is called the follow-up committee in cases of human rights violations. The committee is chaired either by the police commissioner, or by an officer from the army. In the provinces it is headed by the respective military auditor.
During our monitoring, when we follow cases of torture, if it is perpetrated by the police force or the army, the case is discussed in committee, in front of the auditor to assess the progress of the file, or if there is an interference in the file.
We will then attempt to find solutions, and to make it so that the justice can do its work. In this regard we profit from the unconditional support of the police and the army. But there is still a lot of work to do on the culture of the impunity which needs to be eradicated. We continue to work with civil society and the goodwill of the authorities.
Is the work of the ANR (DRC Intelligence Services) included in this mechanism?
We have not yet succeeded in establishing a working mechanism with the ANR authorities, but we hope we can profit from their openness, since it is also important for them, to have the collaboration of the human rights division to positively improve their work. The idea is to humanize detention centres.
How can one resolve the situation in the DRC?
It can be resolved is by training the officers who apply the law, and there was some training carried out, but its necessary that the fruits of this training are implemented by the goodwill of those that apply the law. Secondly, the justice system must accompany this training in this regard, or where there are holes.
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This is the consultation process for a state of rights and a rule of law.
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| Copyright © 2008 United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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