Written question asked by Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour) on Friday, 25 February 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 March 2022. It was answered by Vicky Ford (Conservative) on Monday, 7 March 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in protecting (a) human rights defenders from threats and intimidation, (b) the lives of human rights defenders and (c) the life of human rights defender, Dieudonné Tshimpidimbua.

Answer: The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the consistently high number of abuses and violations and the restriction of civil and political rights. We expressed our concerns about repression of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors at the 48th UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in October 2021. We are following the arrest and sentencing of members of Lutte Pour Le Changement (LUCHA) and continue to raise the importance of free, peaceful democratic activism with our counterparts in DRC. The UK supports the work carried out by the UN Peacekeeping Mission MONUSCO, to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence. In 2021/22, the UK will contribute approximately £45 million and three military staff officers to MONUSCO, who contribute to the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO). UNJHRO continue to implement protection mechanisms for human rights defenders and journalists. In 2021, 762 cases of threats and human rights violations against beneficiaries were addressed, including 595 human rights defenders.

Secondary information