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Congo-Brazzaville has been led for almost 37 years by Denis Sassou-Nguesso, who is seeking a new presidential mandate tomorrow, Sunday 21 March. He will face six other candidates, including two former ministers, Mathias Dzon and Brice Parfait Kolélas. On the eve of this presidential election, FIDH and its Congolese partner, OCHD, say they are “deeply” concerned about the “deterioration of the democratic space and the state of freedom” in the country.
In recent months, the political opposition as well as the activists, according to the two human rights defenders, have been regular targets of attacks and obstacles. The latest example is the arrest of human rights activist Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana a week ago. According to the government spokesman, the authorities accuse him of having tried to “destabilize the institutions during the current election process”, but his lawyer, Maître Ibouga, assures that they ignore the reasons for his arrest and still have not had access to file. Reached by RFI, he says he was able to find him, but is denied the right to see him, a situation he condemns.
“Mr. Alex Dzabana is in arbitrary detention at the Central Intelligence and Documentation Center, ex-DGST. I wrote to this institution to help Dr. Dzabana. During this initial investigation, to this day and in spite of the many visits I have made there, access to him has been completely denied to me under the pretext that those responsible for his detention would not have received instructions from the hierarchy. It is a blatant violation of the most basic human rights unworthy of a state that claims to be a state governed by the rule of law. It is unfortunate for my country and for my country’s justice. The time limit for custody is largely exceeded, he has still not been presented to the judge, and under these conditions he must be released ”.
Note that his family is concerned about his state of health. She assures us that he suffers from hypertension and assures that his arrest took place without having been sent a prior summons or submitting an order.
Also read: Congo-Brazzaville: a choice in a climate of mistrust
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