Name Floribert Chebeya | ||
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Died June 2, 2010, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
DRC : Inauguration of the Floribert Chebeya media center in Kinshasa by French President Hollande
Floribert Chebeya Bahizire (13 September 1963 – 2 June 2010) 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". His death led to calls for an investigation from more than 50 organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, many countries and several senior UN officials, including Ban Ki-moon, Navi Pillay, Alan Doss and Philip Alston.
Contents
- DRC Inauguration of the Floribert Chebeya media center in Kinshasa by French President Hollande
- Leading human rights activist floribert chebeya murdered
- Career
- Death
- Congolese response
- International response
- Autopsy
- Convictions
- References
Leading human rights activist floribert chebeya murdered
Career
Bahizire was born in Bukavu. He worked from the early 1990s until his sudden suspicious 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) human rights organisation. His work led to him being issued with repetitive threats from police. 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.
Death
Chebeya had been asked to meet with Congo's Inspector General of Police, the national police chief, General John Numbi, on 1 June 2010. It is unknown if this meeting occurred. Chebeya texted his wife to inform her he had arrived at police HQ at Kinshasa for the meeting but that was the last contact he had with the outside world. He was later found dead by passers-by in the backseat of his car in a suburb of Kinshasa, with some clothing removed. Chebeya's driver had disappeared. Female hair and condoms were discovered alongside him in the car. His trousers were unzipped. No blood or bullet holes were found. However, Chebeya had blood in several orifices.
Congolese response
Congolese Interior Minister Adolphe Lumanu ordered authorities to investigate this incident and condolenced with Chebeya's family.
Chief of police in Kinshasa, General Jean De Dieu Oleko, said police would investigate the circumstances.
Voice of the Voiceless's Dolly Ibefo asked for an independent autopsy.
On 6 June, the Congolese head of police was suspended and three police officers were arrested. Interior Minister Adolphe Lumanu said in a statement read out on television that President Joseph Kabila was "determined that all light be shed" and "To allow the enquiry to be conducted smoothly, the national defence council decided as a precaution to suspend inspector general John Numbi".
International response
Amnesty International's deputy Africa director, Veronique Aubert, issued a statement upon hearing of his death: "We are stunned and appalled by the suspicious death of such a prominent and respected human rights defender". Amnesty would like his death to be investigated.
Autopsy
An independent autopsy returned an "inconclusive" result.
Convictions
In June 2011, four policemen were sentenced to death and another was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted by a military court of planning and carrying out Chebeya's assassination. Three of the former were absent from court during sentencing - these were believed to have carried out the actual assassination. Three other policemen were acquitted of any part in Chebeya's assassination. Many hours were spent in the reading out of the verdict, with hundreds of people turning up to hear it.
Paul Mwilambwe, who was in charge of security for the premises where Chebeya was killed in June 2010, said he saw the activist's assassination on a surveillance camera. He accused Joseph Kabila of personally ordering the assassination.