Félix Tshisekedi

Tshisekedi announced a constitutional reform commission, raising fears that term limits could be changed to allow a third presidential term.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Human Rights Watch documented an increase in arbitrary arrests, pressure and prosecutions against journalists, activists and opposition members amid the war in the east and debate over a possible extension of presidential rule.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

In Kinshasa, security forces used tear gas and batons against demonstrators opposing a proposal that could facilitate an extension of Tshisekedi's rule; HRW also criticised the police for failing to protect protesters from a pro-government group.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Thousands demonstrated in Goma and Bukavu against constitutional amendments that could allow Tshisekedi to seek a third term.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Congolese army relied on armed groups known as Wazalendo against M23; reports documented abuses committed by some allied militias and risks arising from their arming and informal integration.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Officers and analysts interviewed by Reuters described an army undermined by command, logistics, corruption and coordination problems, which contributed to setbacks against Rwanda-backed M23.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Political responsibility

Human rights reports described a prolonged state of siege that failed to reduce atrocities in the east and was accompanied by restrictions on freedoms, arrests and militarisation of local governance.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following an initial decline in repression at the beginning of Tshisekedi's term, Human Rights Watch documented a resumption and subsequent intensification of arrests and pressure against journalists, activists and opponents.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Journalist Stanis Bujakera was detained for months and prosecuted in a case denounced as politically motivated, becoming a symbol of deteriorating press freedom under Tshisekedi's later presidency.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Person targeted by the proceedings

Stanis Bujakera

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Tshisekedi won a second term in an election in which the joint Catholic and Protestant churches' observation mission documented thousands of incidents and numerous irregularities potentially affecting certain results.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Congolese government lifted a moratorium on executions that had lasted more than twenty years, notably citing the need to combat treason and espionage during wartime.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Congolese military personnel were sentenced to death for offences relating to fleeing the enemy, following the lifting of the moratorium and the collapse of certain front lines against M23.

State of the evidence

Documented

Person targeted by the proceedings

des militaires

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The government employed foreign training and security companies in the east, a controversial choice in a conflict where the boundary between training, operational support and mercenary activities was debated.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Congolese forces killed dozens of members of a religious movement in Goma during an operation before a banned demonstration, an episode widely condemned for disproportionate use of force.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Tshisekedi imposed a state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri, transferring substantial civilian powers to military authorities in response to armed group violence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

After taking office, Tshisekedi governed in a coalition in which Joseph Kabila's Common Front for Congo controlled much of Parliament and the state apparatus, fuelling suspicions of a post-election arrangement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Félix Tshisekedi was declared winner of the 2018 presidential election and subsequently confirmed by the Constitutional Court, while CENCO and two leaked datasets analysed by the Congo Research Group placed Martin Fayulu far ahead.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated