DRC: National Observatory of Human Rights (defunct)

Updated August 2009

Law 04/20 of July 2004 established the National Observatory of Human Rights (Office National des Droits de l'Homme-ONDH) as an independent and autonomous body with a judicial personality. However, the institution became defunct in 2006.

During its short existence the institution was largely weak and ineffective. According to the 2006 Global Integrity Report, the National Observatory of Human Rights remained a timid organ and inactive against the massive human rights violations during the transition period (Global Integrity 2006) . Political interference could be seen in almost all of its work and it was accused of being biased towards the government. The agency was only located in Kinshasa due to resource constraints and had few full-time staff. Staff appointments were based on political considerations. Periodic reports of the agency mainly documented human rights abuses rather than actions taken against such abuses by the agency.

In July 2006, the premises of the National Observatory of Human Rights were looted and records destroyed by a mob of participants in a Kinshasa campaign rally for presidential candidate Jean Pierre Bemba. Subsequent investigation by the agency assigned full blame to his party, the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC).

Reference

GLOBAL INTEGRITY 2006 "DRC Scorecard Report" IN Global Integrity Report 2006, [www] http://www.globalintegrity.org/reports/2006/Democratic%20Republic%20of%20Congo/index.cfm [opens new window] (accessed 17 August 2009).