© FLORIAN PLAUCHEUR / AFP
A Congolese policeman on duty in Brazzaville. (Drawing).
Four out of six families filed a complaint Thursday, January 13 against the Congolese state, following the death of their members on the night of November 4 to 5, 2021 in the jails of the Brazzaville central police station. Autopsies carried out on the bodies, at the request of NGOs, had revealed deaths from torture; but they were accidental according to the government.
With our correspondent in Brazzaville, Loïcia Martial
Since this tragedy, no arrests have been made and the Independent Commission of Inquiry called for by human rights organizations has not seen the light of day either.
The families waited two months to file their complaint because this file should be managed with rigor, they explain, including in particular the results of autopsies by a forensic doctor, which detected traces of torture on the bodies.
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These families are assisted by NGOs including the Development Action Center (CAD) headed by Trésor Nzila. ” By becoming civil parties, we and the families are waiting for the perpetrators to be held to account and for reparations to be made. ».
For Trésor Nzila, torture has become endemic in the country. He suggests avenues for the authorities to fight it. “ It is possible to end torture. To do this, the Congolese government must change national legislation to be in conformity with international human rights law; then develop safeguards to fight effectively against this scourge ».
Recently at least four police officers were arrested on the order of the public prosecutor for having tortured three young people, two of whom were killed.
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