U.S. Statement at the Adoption of the Working Group Report of the UPR of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
As Delivered by Divya Khosla
27th Session of the Human Rights Council
September 18, 2014
Thank you, Mr. Vice-President,
The United States welcomes the return of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Working Group report.
We welcome the DRC’s support for Rwanda’s recommendation that the DRC fulfill its commitments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework. We appreciate the recommendations of a number of states for the DRC to increase efforts to address impunity for extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions. We also welcome the DRC’s pledge to increase support for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. We support its decision to facilitate the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the situation on human rights defenders and to strengthen its National Human Rights Commission.
We are encouraged by the DRC’s support for the recommendation to establish, in conjunction with civil society and the international community, independent and impartial specialized mixed chambers within the national judicial system to address serious human rights violations. We are further encouraged that the DRC supports recommendations by a number of states to allow for full freedoms of expression and assembly. These include recommendations for the government to investigate the arrests of political activists and journalists detained for exercising free speech. We urge the Government to fully implement these recommendations.
Thank you.