Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Take Action



  1. Donate at www.telema.org to help with their transport to safety.
  2. Write BEFORE MAY 4 to the Congolese authorities listed in the alert from Amnesty International (sample language is pasted below). It only takes 3 minutes. http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa06715.pdf. 
  3. Spread the word by posting and forwarding this information to as many people you can via social media using ‪#‎Telema‬, which means 'Stand Up' in Lingala, a Congolese language.
Please personalize and send the below:
 
Dear Minister Alexis Tambwe Mwamba and Attorney General Flory Kabange Numbi

I am deeply concerned by the recent events in the DR Congo and am writing to urge the Congolese authorities to immediately reveal where the human rights activists and others arrested are being held. Please either charge them with a recognizable criminal offense or immediately and unconditionally release them. I urge the Congolese authorities to ensure that they are not subjected to any torture or other ill-treatment and to guarantee them access to lawyers and visits from their family members while in detention. 

Sincerely,




Send to: 
Include a copy to:

Please let Amnesty International know that you took action so that they can track our impact. Simply send a quick email touan@aiusa.org with "UA 67/15" in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent.

Thank you!
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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Mass arrests of activists in DRC


*** Urgent news from our partners, Youth for a New Society***

Mass arrests of activists, other activists in hiding

Our friend and brother Ben is in grave danger.  Congo Activists of Michigan has been supporting Youth for a New Society for five years through our Hike for Congo fundraiser events.  Ben Kabamba is the leader of the Youth for a New Society (YNS) group, YNS is a member of the FILIMBI coalition.  We have Skyped with YNS, speaking directly with Ben many times.  I had the honor of meeting Ben during his visit just a few weeks ago when he was in the US for the UN youth conference. He is a brave friend who has committed his life to working for peace in the DRC. 




Ben is now being hunted by the Congolese military after a US diplomat and 40 others were arrested at a peaceful, properly permitted, pro-democracy meeting on Sunday. Ben managed to escape being arrested and has been in hiding with 5 other human rights activists at the UN (MONUSCO) office for the past several days, but the UN has said it can’t help him flee the country. The event was also sponsored by the US Embassy. The US diplomat was released as well as all the Europeans but all the Africans are still detained. Details are in an article HERE.  (many more news links below)

On Sunday March 15th, the Congolese military arrested youth leaders from Burkina Faso, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The arrests took place in the capital, Kinshasa after a press conference organized by a coalition of Congolese youth organizations called FILIMBI. The main speakers at the press conference along with 40 other individuals were arrested. The youth leaders arrested represented Y'En A Marre(We're Fed Up) from Senegal, Balai Citoyen (Citizen's Broom) from Burkina Faso and La LUCHA and FILIMBI from the DRC. Those arrested by the government include Oscibi Johann of Balai Citoyen, Fadel Barro, Malal Almamy Talla and Aliou Sané of Y'En A Marre, Fred Bauma of La LUCHA and several other Congolese youth. The military confiscated the equipment, video footage, ID cards and other belongings from the youth.

The arrests took place before a concert was to be held later in the evening in the Masina neighborhood of Kinshasa. The youth from Burkina Faso and Senegal were invited to the DRC by FILIMBI to engage in a dialogue around civic participation. Burkina Faso and Senegalese youth were sharing lessons drawn from their experiences in civic engagement in Senegal and Burkina Faso.



The Congolese government has made outlandish claims about the youth, painting them as terrorists. TheCongolese Minister of Communications has accused the youth of fomenting unrest and promoting violence.

 The Congolese government continues to hunt down and arrest youth who participated in the peaceful, pro-democracy event on March 15th. The Kabila regime has been on a remarkable arrest spree. In addition to the dozens arrested on Sunday, one of the event organizers Sylvain Saluseke and another dozen youth activists in the eastern city of Goma were arrested on Tuesday, March 17th. These arrests are in addition to the 400 plus arrested in the wake of the January 19 to 22, Telema uprisings.
 Friends of the Congo, Congo Activists of Michigan, CongoSwim, and our supporters call on the Congolese government to immediately release all political prisoners and cease its witch hunt of pro-democracy youth activists.
The situation is urgent and we are calling for support to help get Ben and the five human rights activists out of the country. We need to raise international concern. 
Take Action:
Urgent action is needed to protect African youth from the crackdown by the Congolese government:

1.     Please pause to pray or send positive vibes and energy for their protection.  

2.     Donate at telema.org for them to get transport out of the country. Friends of the Congo is working with people they trust on the ground to coordinate the arrangements for Ben and the 5 other human rights activists to get to safety.

3.   Advocacy:
 * Call on the African Union,  United Nations and world leaders to denounce the repressive tactics being pursued by the Congolese government. 
 * Contact the US State Department office to urge the US to investigate the arrests and closely monitor the situation for safety of the civilians. Please email or leave a message (more information and a draft letter here.)
 Daniel Renna - Desk Officer (DR Congo)202.647-2216 rennadm@state.gov and Mark G Jackson - Democracy & Human Rights 202-647-9077.

* Email the Congolese embassy at ambassade@ambardcusa.org (draft letter here) to request immediate release of the people who are still being detained for participating in demonstrations in January, for the remaining 30 Africans arrested on Sunday.


4.     Spread the word by posting and forwarding this information to as many people you can. On social media use hashtag #telema




News Articles:

DR Congo: Mass Arrests of Activists | Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/18/dr-congo-mass-arrests-activists

DR Congo: Deadly Crackdown on Protests | Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/01/24/dr-congo-deadly-crackdown-protests
US Defends Backing Event for DR Congo Activists: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31911799
DR Congo Activists in Goma Arrested: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31922771
US Diplomat Arrested with Pro-Democracy Activists in Congo: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/15/us-congodemocratic-arrests-idUSKBN0MB10120150315
Congo frees US diplomat but retains African democracy activists: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/16/congodemocratic-arrests-idUSL6N0WI1V320150316
AUDIO: Monday Kambale of Friends of the Congo was able to speak with Ben in French and he recorded it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBWEvNzlgo  



Michigan: 
Peace Conference in Ann Arbor this week: 50th Anniversary of the First Anti-War Teach-In: https://www.facebook.com/events/446097078888814/

 Hike for Congo, a fundraiser for Youth for a New Society, will be happening on our usual trail in late May this year, details coming soon..

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