In Congo-Brazzaville, civil society organizations are in the midst of an awareness campaign to secure the release of at least five activists, whom they consider to be prisoners of conscience.
as reported from Brazzaville, Loïcia Martial
The current campaign is characterized by posts. On the posters, you can see pictures of activists arrested in recent months. This is the case with human rights defender Alex Dzabana, 77, and Christ Dongui from the Ras-le-bol civic movement.
The Human Rights and Development Circle (CDHD), led by Roch Euloge Nzobo, is one of the three NGOs behind the campaign. “They are actually prisoners of conscience,” he explains. We felt that in the end we could start another advocacy process. That’s why we started this campaign. Apart from that, we see the possibilities of carrying out a great deal of advocacy at diplomatic levels and, if possible, taking the UN system, ”Nzobo explained.
Attack on internal security
The arrested activists are especially accused of “endangering the internal security of the state”. An indictment that does not pass, in the eyes of Roch Euloge Nzobos, which particularly condemns the conditions under which they were arrested.
“Some of them were abducted. Alex Dzabana has been kidnapped. Christ Dongui was abducted from his home at 5 p.m., he said. Which is not in accordance with the law. These cops who are responsible for arresting them are behaving like gangsters. They did not even have an order issued by a judge, “lamented Mr. Nzobo.
For their lawyers, the accused’s case is empty. But their efforts so far have proved unsuccessful.
► To read also: Congo-Brazzaville: repression intensifies, condemns Amnesty International
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