Federal judge expands class action definition in lawsuit against ICE over border separations
A federal judge granted a motion on Friday to expand the class definition in a class action lawsuit against the Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency. In the original complaint, the plaintiff, Ms. L, sought to reunite with her seven-year-old daughter after they both fled violence from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Upon seeking asylum in [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo of carrying out forced disappearances and killings of 34 young men and boys between May and September 2018. There are reports of 11 additional cases, but HRW has not yet been able to verify those reports. The victims, as young [...]
UN rights expert calls on DRC to restore internet services following election
A UN expert called Monday for the restoration of telecommunication services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC continues to have their internet shut down in the wake of their general elections, which took place on December 30. The next day the internet and SMS services were shut down in the country [...]
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Tuesday condemning attacks by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Resolution 2439 documents particular concern for the plight of Ebola-stricken areas in the African nation. Citing concerns for government and independent armed groups in the region, the resolution calls for a cessation of violence in the region [...]
UN rights chief warns against human rights violations in deportation of Congolese
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday cautioned that Angola’s mass deportation of approximately 330,000 Congolese migrants has seen human rights violations by authorities on both sides of the border. Authorities in Angola have reportedly used unnecessary force in expelling Congolese from the country, including deaths at the hand of authorities and [...]
The Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe, led by Justice Rita Makarau, on Wednesday struck down section 27 of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) giving authorities power ban public demonstrations, as unconstitutional. The section allows for the authorities in an area to prohibit demonstrations if they “believe[] on reasonable grounds that there might be public [...]
UN rights council calls on Venezuela to accept aid and investigate human rights situation
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling on Venezuela to accept humanitarian assistance and requesting a comprehensive report on the country’s human rights situation. The Council called on the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to accept assistance “in order to address the scarcity of food, medicine and medical [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday sentenced former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba to 12 months in prison and issued a $350,000 fine for bribing witnesses during his war crimes trial in 2016. ICC Judge Bertram Schmitt reduced his sentence to zero after factoring in the time he served [...]
UN rights office expresses concern over treatment of peaceful protesters in DRC
A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern Friday over the “violent suppression of peaceful protests” by opposing political parties and the police in anticipation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s upcoming election. The spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, cited two incidents within the past week of the police arresting political [...]
The UK Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling on Wednesday, broadening the country’s understanding of what may be protected from litigation under the legal advice privilege. The Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) was compelled by the London High Court to disclose documents that were produced after potential issues of fraud were brought to the [...]
