Congo-B: families file a complaint 2 months after the death of 6 young people in a police station
A Congolese policeman on duty in Brazzaville.
(Drawing).
© FLORIAN PLAUCHEUR / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Four out of six families filed a complaint on Thursday January 13 against the Congolese state, following the death of their members on the night of November 4 to 5, 2021 in the jails of the central police station in Brazzaville.
The autopsies carried out on the bodies, at the request of the NGOs, had revealed deaths by torture;
but they were accidental according to the government.
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With our correspondent in Brazzaville,
Loïcia Martial
Since this tragedy, no arrests have been made and the Independent Commission of Inquiry called for by the Human Rights Defense Organizations has not seen the light of day either.
The families waited two months to file their complaint because this file should be managed with rigor, they explain, by integrating in particular the results of the autopsies of a medical examiner, who detected traces of torture on the bodies.
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To read also: Congo-B: 6 dead in Brazzaville police prison, families and NGOs protest
These families are assisted by NGOs including the Center for Development Actions (CAD) headed by Trésor Nzila.
"
By becoming civil parties, the families and we are waiting for the perpetrators to be held accountable and for reparations to be made
".
For Trésor Nzila, torture has become endemic in the country.
He suggests ways for the authorities to fight it.
“
It is possible to end torture.
To do this, the Congolese government must change national legislation to comply with international human rights law;
then develop safeguards to effectively combat this scourge
”.
Recently at least four police officers were arrested on the order of the public prosecutor for having tortured three young people, two of whom were killed.
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To read also: Congo-B: the six dead of the central police station in Brazzaville were tortured, according to an autopsy
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Congo Brazzaville