Congo-Kinshasa: Candidates Should Not Incite Violence - Security Services Should Cease Attacks on Candidates and Demonstrators

press release

Kinshasa — Political candidates and their supporters in the Democratic Republic of Congo should not incite violence and should refrain from using hate speech during the upcoming election campaign, Human Rights Watch said today. Congo is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on November 28, 2011.

Since March, Human Rights Watch has documented dozens of instances of apparent ethnic hate speech and incitement to violence by political candidates and their supporters. Police have also used unnecessary or excessive force against political demonstrations. The verbal and physical assaults, primarily against opposition candidates and their supporters, have created a climate of fear in some areas and raised concerns about the credibility of the elections.

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