Several arrested for Congo activist's death

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Several arrested for Congo activist's death
The Associated Press
Saturday, June 5, 2010; 9:29 AM

KINSHASA, Congo -- A police commander in Congo's capital says several police officers have been arrested in connection to the killing this week of a leading Congolese human rights activist.

Gen. Jean-de-Dieu Oleko told The Associated Press Saturday that several police officers were arrested late Friday. The arrests were part of a preliminary investigation into the death of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire. He would not give further detail on those arrested.

The body of Bahizire, head of Voix des Sans Voix, or Voice of the Voiceless, was found in his car Wednesday in a suburb of Congo's capital. The rights group, one of the largest in Congo, said he appeared to have been strangled.

A group of Congolese and international organizations Saturday called for an independent inquiry into the killing.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/05/AR2010060501915.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Background story:Top Congolese human rights activist found murdered in vehicle

14 hours ago By ■ Andrew Moran - comments
Top Congolese human rights activist found murdered in vehicle

Kinshasa - Prominent human rights activist in the African nation of Congo, Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, was found strangled in his vehicle after receiving a series of attempts at intimidation. He was 46-years-old.

Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, who was called “a champion of human rights” by the United Nations, was found strangled in his vehicle in the suburbs of the Congolese capital city of Kinshasa, according to Reuters. Bahizire was a prominent voice for human rights as he fought against government and military corruption.

The head of the Voice of the Voiceless received numerous attempts at intimidation. Several human rights groups in Congo believe the Inspector General of the Congolese National Police, John Numbi, was behind the murder but Numbi and his aides have not provided any comment, reports Press TV.

Amnesty International has urged the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to launch an investigation. The London-based group claims that Bahizire and Numbi held a meeting prior to activist’s death.

More:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/292971



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Floribert Chebeya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Floribert Chebeya Bahizire<1> (13 September 1963, Bukavu – 2 June 2010, Kinshasa) was a leading Congolese human rights activist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hailed by the United Nations as "a champion of human rights".<2> His death led to calls for an investigation from several organisations, including Amnesty International, and several senior UN officials, including Ban Ki-moon, Navi Pillay, Alan Doss and Philip Alston.

Career
He worked from the early 1990s until his sudden suspicious<3> death in 2010, of which the cause has yet to be established. He was leader of the Voix des Sans Voix (Voice of the Voiceless) humans rights organisation. His work led to him being issued with repetitive threats from police.<4><5> Throughout his life Chebeya denounced several governments and rulers, including the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, his successor President Laurent-Désiré Kabila and the incumbent government at the time of his death.<6>
More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floribert_Chebeya