wfn.org | WCC NEWS: DR Congo: after death of human rights activist, government must act responsibly, says WCC

[WCC media <noreply@wcc-coe.org>]

>World Council of Churches - News

CONGOLESE GOVERNMENT MUST ACT AFTER DEATH OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

>For immediate release: 04 June 2010

Deep concern over the recent death of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire  and the
"increased oppression against Congolese human rights defenders"  during the
past year was expressed by the general secretary of the World Council  of
Churches (WCC) in a letter to the president of the Democratic Republic  of
Congo (DRC) on 4 June.

Chebeya was the executive director of La Voix des Sans-Voix (Voice  of the
Voiceless), one of the DRC's most important human rights organizations.

Chebeya's body was found in his car Wednesday morning. He had been  called
to a meeting with the national police chief, which did not take  place, the
previous night. His driver is missing since then.

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit urged the DRC government  "to
act as agents of the rule of law" and added: "The government has  a
responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of  its
citizens and should demonstrate this respect by conducting a full,  open
and transparent investigation into the death of Mr Floribert Chebeya
Bahizire and the fate of his driver, Mr Fidele Bazana Edadi."

Speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN
investigator Philip Alston said the circumstances of the death "strongly
suggested official responsibility". The DRC government has ordered  an
inquiry into the death.

La Voix des Sans-Voix is part of the WCC human rights defenders  network in
Africa. Chebeya was a member of the planning committee of a human  rights
workshop that the WCC and other Christian organizations held in  Kinshasa
last April.  At the ecumenical workshop, Congolese church leaders
committed themselves (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e8d3f1e5d0ea7f48f7b6
) to promote respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights.

Full text of the WCC general secretary's letter (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=8bfc05ddfe214c9a7ca2 )

WCC member churches in the DRC (Link:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=f30292059c3d2fa220d7 )

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,  witness and 
service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship  of churches 
founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560  million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the  Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse  Tveit, from 
the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

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