Democratic Republic of Congo: Prisoners

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the treatment of detainees and prisoners in government-controlled areas of that country.

Meg Munn
We have called on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) authorities to respect international humanitarian law and human rights conventions. The UK remains in close contact on human rights issues with the UN mission in the DRC and with EU partners, through the local EU human rights forum. The UK supported the EU presidency’s call in August 2007 for the DRC to meet its human rights obligations. We will continue to urge the DRC to uphold international human rights standards, including the treatment of people in custody.

The UK makes a significant contribution to the EU’s programme on security sector reform in the DRC. One of the aims of this project is to promote accountability and awareness of human rights among members of the DRC’s armed forces and its security and justice sectors.