Democratic Republic of Congo: 14 years on, justice is still awaited in the Chebeya/Bazana case

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14 years after the disappearance of Floribert Chebeya and Fidele Bazana, who were murdered in 2010, the families of the two human rights defenders are travelling to Kinshasa, to commemorate the anniversary of their disappearance on 1 June. The families will also be pleading for a second trial concerning a case involving senior army officers.

Paris–Geneva–Kinshasa–Kisangani, 31 May 2024– The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH – and the World Organisation Against Torture – OMCT), the Association Africaine pour les Droits Humains (Asadho), the Groupe Lotus, the Ligue des électeurs and the Voix des Sans Voix (VSV) are joining this initiative to call for the opening of the trial of General Dadjidja and General Numbi. General Numbi is accused of orchestrating the murder of Floribert Chebeya and Fidele Bazana. Other police officers are also awaiting trial.

On 1 June 2024, the families of Floribert Chebeya, former Executive Director of the VSV and member of the General Assembly of the OMCT, and Fidele Bazana, his driver and member of the VSV, living in exile in France and Canada, will take part in a ceremony at the Notre-Dame de Fatima church in Kinshasa to commemorate these two human rights defenders murdered on 1 June 2010. A mausoleum will also be inaugurated.

While Floribert Chebeya’s body was found the day after his assassination, Fidele Bazana’s body has still not been found, even though his death was officially declared in March 2011. The civil parties and their lawyers, who have gathered in Kinshasa for the commemoration, will hold a press conference at the Fatima Church at the end of the ceremony. They are calling for an analysis of the soil on the property of General Zelwa Katanga alias Djadjidja. On the basis of several testimonies given during the trial of the executioners in 2021, they believe it is likely that the remains of Fidele Bazana’s body will be found there.

A second complaint was filed in October 2020 by the lawyers of the civil parties, this time against General John Numbi, General Zelwa Katanga alias Djadjidja and other police officers who took part to the assassination of the two human rights defenders. The case has been referred to the High Military Court for determination. The court has not yet set a trial date. An international arrest
warrant for John Numbi, who is still on the run, has been issued by the DRC auditor General’s Office and submitted to Interpol.

The Observatory, Asadho, the Groupe Lotus, the Ligue des Électeurs and the VSV join the lawyers of the Chebeya and Bazana families in calling on the Congolese authorities to separate the trials of the military and police officers involved in the case. This is in order to judge those who, in the absence of General Numbi, are being held in preventive detention on Congolese territory. A second trial must be opened so that the families can continue their search for justice and truth.

The undersigned organisations also sustain the request made to the President of the Republic, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, to dismiss of General John Numbi from the armed forces. If the General is arrested, he must be prosecuted and brought before a competent court. Given that General Numbi is still a four-star general and that no judge of the High Military Court is of the same or higher rank, no one can try him.

When Colonel Daniel Mukalay was arrested, a number of weapons were found in the vehicle he was driving. During his interrogation, he stated that these weapons had been given to him by General John Numbi. Following his trial by the Military High Court, Daniel Mukalay was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in 2015. The establishment of a trial in this case is also a priority. Colonel Daniel Mukalay has been in prison since 2010. He is currently serving his last year in prison for this double murder. A new trial should help in the fight against impunity for all crimes committed in this case.

For more information about the facts behind the case and the legal proceedings, you can access to our questions and answers on the Chebeya / Bazana case on the FIDH and OMCT website (en french only).

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  • Co-signatories

    The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership between the International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture - OMCT, is dedicated to protecting human rights defenders who are victims of violations and providing them with the most concrete assistance possible. OMCT and FIDH are members of ProtectDefenders.e, the European Union’s international civil society mechanism for human rights defenders.
    Asadho has been founded in 1991, and its missions are to protect, promote, and protect rights and individual and collective freedoms;to respect the primacy of the law and independance of the justice in order to consolidate the rule of law, which are the roots of the democracy; to contribute to raising awareness of human rights. Asadho is a member of the FIDH and the OMCT.
    The Groupe Lotus is a non-governmental organisation based in Kisangani. The group highlights human rights violations, alerts public opinion, and investigates the practices of the authorities to force them to respect the law. The group also supports people who are discriminated or oppressed because of their social, national or religious group, or because of their opinions. The NGO informs, teaches and promotes human rights values and democratic principles in order to move them forward in DRC. Groupe Lotus is a member of the FIDH and the OMCT.
    The Ligue des Électeurs has been created in 1990, and its mission is to promote democracy, particularly through the defence of human rights and the promotion of the culture of voting. As animator of the democratic movement, the League organises training activities for members of civil society associations; popular awareness-raising activities on human rights; and international missions to assess and observe the electoral situation. The Ligue des Électeurs is a member of the FIDH.
    The Voix des Sans Voix pour les droits humains is a non-governmental human rights organisation founded in 1983 and based in Kinshasa. VSV is actively involved in efforts to revitalise civil society, in order to increase the effectiveness of the pro-democratic movement in order to establish the rule of law in the DRC. VSV is a member of the OMCT.

  • Member organisations - Democratic Republic of Congo
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    Congo-Kinshasa
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    Congo-Kinshasa

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