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officers and some customers as a result of 

his allegedly aggressive behaviour. The 

victim’s family had filed a complaint against 

the police in January, alleging that the 

investigation was not thorough; their lawyer 

criticized the police for failing to secure the 

scene and evidence.

In May, the Council of Europe 

Commissioner for Human Rights urged the 

Czech authorities to remove a pig farm from 

the site of a former Nazi concentration camp, 

where most of the victims were Roma, in the 

village of Lety u Písku. While appreciating the 

government’s efforts to buy the land, the 

Commissioner was concerned over the length 

of the process, and the government’s 

repeated failure to remove the pig farm and 

create a memorial as a measure of reparation 

for the Roma who suffered and died there 

during the Second World War. In November, 

the government signed a contract to buy off 

the land from the owner of the pig farm and 

made a commitment to build a memorial on 

the site.

SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The Czech Republic continued to export 

arms to countries where there was a 

substantial risk that such arms could be used 

to commit or facilitate serious human rights 

violations, including the unlawful use of force 

against protesters or opposition groups. In 

May, during an arms fair in the city of Brno, 

the President stated that the Czech arms 

industry needed to “export globally”, denying 

that the country had responsibility to prevent 

the re-export of its equipment to countries 

which are “not safe”.

DEMOCRATIC 

REPUBLIC OF THE 

CONGO

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Head of state: Joseph Kabila

Head of government: Bruno Tshibala Nzenze (replaced 

Samy Badibanga Ntita in April)

The human rights situation further 

deteriorated. Violence in the Kasaï region 

left thousands dead, at least 1 million 

internally displaced, and caused more than 

35,000 people to flee for neighbouring 

Angola. In the east, armed groups and 

government forces continued to target 

civilians and engage in illegal exploitation 

of natural resources with impunity. Police, 

intelligence services and courts continued 

to crack down on the rights to freedom of 

expression, association and peaceful 

assembly. Human rights defenders and 

journalists were harassed, intimidated, 

arbitrarily arrested, expelled or killed.

BACKGROUND

President Kabila remained in post although 

his second constitutional term ended on 19 

December 2016. A political agreement was 

signed in December 2016 by the ruling 

coalition, the opposition and some civil 

society organizations. It provided that 

President Kabila would remain in power, and 

a government of national unity would be 

appointed, led by a Prime Minister 

designated by the Rassemblement, the main 

opposition, with the task of organizing the 

elections by December 2017. The agreement 

established the National Council for the 

Implementation of the Accord and the 

Electoral Process (CNSA) to monitor 

progress, led by Rassemblement leader 

Etienne Tshisekedi. The agreement included 

a commitment by President Kabila to adhere 

to the constitutional two-term limit and not 

undertake a revision or change of the 

Constitution. Implementation of the 

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agreement stalled over the appointment and 

distribution of political posts to the 

transitional institutions. In February Etienne 

Tshisekedi died. In April, President Kabila 

unilaterally appointed Bruno Tshibala as 

Prime Minister; the Rassemblement refused 

to recognize the appointment. In July, Joseph 

Olenghankoy was also unilaterally appointed 

as chairman of the CNSA. The main 

opposition leaders, the Catholic Church and 

the international community denounced 

these appointments as violating the 

agreement.

Voter registration in the run-up to the 

elections was significantly delayed. In July, 

the president of the Independent National 

Electoral Commission announced that 

elections could not be held in December 

2017, on grounds including the security 

situation in the Kasaï region.

Violence that erupted in 2016 over the 

killing of Chief Kamuena Nsapu spread to five 

provinces, triggering an unprecedented 

humanitarian crisis. In the east, several 

armed groups stepped up their attacks to 

expel President Kabila. Both the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo (DRC) security forces 

and the UN Organization Stabilization 

Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) were unable 

to tackle the insecurity and neutralize more 

than 40 local or foreign armed groups that 

remained active.

The annual inflation rate increased by 

around 50% in 2017, contributing to 

deepening levels of poverty. Strikes were held 

demanding salary increases for teachers, 

university professors, doctors, nurses and 

civil servants. A cholera epidemic affected at 

least 24,000 people; over 500 died between 

January and September.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Press freedom and the right to information 

were restricted. The granting of visas and 

accreditations to foreign correspondents was 

drastically limited. At least one journalist, a 

Belgian national, was expelled in September; 

a French national and a US national were 

unable to renew accreditation in June and 

August respectively. On at least 15 occasions, 

Congolese and foreign journalists were 

intimidated, harassed and arbitrarily arrested 

and detained while carrying out their work. In 

many cases, their equipment was confiscated 

or they had to erase recorded data. The 

Minister of Communication issued a decree 

in July introducing new rules requiring 

foreign correspondents to obtain 

authorization from the Minister to travel 

outside the capital, Kinshasa.

In August, the day before a two-day protest, 

organized by the opposition, calling on 

people across the country to stay at home to 

encourage the publication of an electoral 

calendar, the Post and Telecommunications 

Regulatory Authority ordered 

telecommunication companies to strictly limit 

all social media activity and communication.

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY

Authorities continued to ban and repress 

public dissent and peaceful assemblies 

organized by civil society organizations and 

the opposition, especially protests concerning 

the political crisis and elections. Opposition 

peaceful protesters were intimidated, 

harassed and arrested by security forces; 

government supporters’ demonstrations took 

place without interference from the 

authorities.

On 31 July, more than 100 people, 

including 11 Congolese and foreign 

journalists, were arrested during country-wide 

demonstrations organized by the Struggle for 

Change (LUCHA), to demand the publication 

of the electoral calendar. A journalist was 

charged in connection with the protest and 

remained in detention in Lubumbashi; four 

demonstrators received prison sentences. 

The others were released without charge the 

same or following day.

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE

Protests other than those organized by 

government supporters were often met with 

excessive and sometimes lethal force.

On 15 September, in Kamanyola, the army 

and police fired at a crowd of Burundian 

refugees protesting the detention and 

deportation of four refugees by DRC 

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