Public statement  Posté le 14-03-2021 10:49, par Tournons la Page

Congo-Brazzaville - Arrest of Dr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana, coordinator of the Congolese Platform of Human Rights and Democracy NGOs, member of the M22 movement and the Tournons La Page Congo coalition

To the attention of :

• His Excellency the President of the Republic of Congo;
• His Excellency the Prime Minister, Head of Government of the Republic of Congo;
• His Excellency the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples of the Republic of Congo;
• His Excellency the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization of the Republic of Congo;
• Her Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action of the Republic of Congo;
• Her Excellency the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization of the Republic of Congo;
• Mr. Commander of the Police Force;
• Mr. Director of the Central Intelligence and Documentation Office;
• Mr. President of the National Human Rights Commission; and ;
• Ladies and Gentlemen of the Parliament.

On March 11, 2021, early in the morning, Dr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana, one of the coordinators of the Congolese Platform of Human Rights and Democracy NGOs, President of the M22 movement and a member of the Tournons La Page Congo coalition was abducted by at least three people in civilian clothes and taken against his will as he left his home in Brazzaville in a vehicle with registration number 310-MD4 of the DAIHATSU grey Rocky model with tinted windows to an unknown location. This vehicle remained parked for a long time in front of his home before leaving with Dr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana.

A few hours later, he was identified by his lawyer in the premises of the Central Intelligence and Documentation Office, formerly the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance. The agents on duty confirmed his presence on the premises but refused to allow his lawyer to see and speak to his client. The reasons for his arrest are not known, and his lawyer has not been able to obtain the reason for his incarceration. We have not heard from him directly since this morning and the situation is extremely worrying. Dr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana is 77 years old and has a health history that is incompatible with any kind of detention.

These facts unfortunately illustrate the very worrying deterioration of the situation of civil society actors and human rights defenders in the Republic of Congo. In view of the above, our organizations :

1. Denounce this illegal arrest;
2. Denounce the arbitrary detention of Mr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana;
3. Demand that his lawyer be given unconditional access to his client;
4. Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana;
5. Demand that the political, administrative and judicial authorities take up the case and set up an investigation; and
6. Recall that the role of the Congolese authorities is to protect and guarantee the safety of human rights defenders whose actions are peaceful, particularly during this election period.

We hope that you will be aware of this situation. Please accept, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, representatives of the Republic of Congo, the expression of our full cooperation.

So done in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Paris, Lyon and Geneva, on March 11, 2021

For :

• Agir ensemble pour les droits humains
• Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l’Homme - OCDH
• Tournons La Page
• Plateforme des ONG des droits humains et de la démocratie
• ACAT-France
• FIDH (Fédération internationale pour les droits humains), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• OMCT (Organisation mondiale contre la torture), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• Collectif Sassoufit

Contacts: Trésor Nzila (Congolese Observatory for Human Rights): ocdh.brazza@ocdh-brazza.org +242 05 533 0763; Thibaud Kurtz (Agir ensemble pour les droits humains): agir-ensemble@aedh.org; t.kurtz@aedh.org