Emergency in the Congo: We need your help to defend arrested peace workers!
Please take urgent action: Our allies at Friends of the Congo, Amnesty International,
and Human Rights Watch have expressed grave concern about the detention
of Jean-Marie Kalonji & Sylva Mbikayi by the Congolese military.
We are very concerned about their welfare. Please help by doing all you
can to bring maximum attention to their situation--with the expectation
of securing their immediate release!
From Amnesty: "Jean-Marie
Kalonji is an activist with the youth movement Quatrieme voie/ il est
temps, which aims to defend the rights of the Congolese youth and has
campaigned for peace and democracy in the DRC.
"He was arrested
by military security forces on Friday 23 June in Kinshasa, Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). His colleague and lawyer Sylva Mbikayi was
arrested a few hours later when he attempted to visit Jean-Marie Kalonji
where he was detained."
"Please write immediately in French or your own language:
--Calling on the Congolese authorities to release Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Mbikayi immediately and unconditionally;
--Calling on them to ensure that Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Mbikayi
have full and immediate access to a lawyer of their choosing, family
members and medical assistance;
--Urging the Congolese
authorities to guarantee that Jean-Marie Kalonji and Sylva Mbikayi are
not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment."
More info from Human Rights Watch here:
