The cause of death of one of the defendants detention for several months. They were in October was unclear. He was the third released on bail in November, but the defendant to die since the trial began. fabricated charges against them were not Former Congolese warlord Roger Lumbala, dropped. Thirteen other LUCHA activists who was arrested in France in December were arrested and illegally detained in Beni in 2020 over war crimes and crimes against November for staging a peaceful humanity committed in the DRC, remained in demonstration against the state of siege. custody. Dozens of other activists were also held in There were no meaningful developments arbitrary detention nationwide for exercising regarding the situation in the DRC before the their human rights. ICC. In Ituri province, hundreds of people were In April, following calls from human rights unlawfully detained for several months in the organizations including Amnesty territories of Aru, Djugu, Mahagi, Mambasa, International, the government started to Irumu, and in the town of Bunia, due to a develop a comprehensive strategy to deal shortage of magistrates to handle their cases. with serious crimes committed over the last In September, Hubert Berocan, a provincial three decades, in collaboration with the UN member of parliament (MP), was sentenced and representatives of Congolese civil society to 12 months in prison after an unfair trial at 1 organizations. a military court in Bunia, solely for ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS challenging the local executive about the unfair distribution of computers to schools. In The frequent use of arbitrary arrests and June, another local MP had been unlawfully unlawful detentions persisted throughout detained for 48 hours by a military prosecutor DRC. The situation was particularly serious in after he criticized the president for failing to the North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where the restore peace and fulfil his commitments. state of siege gave excessive powers to the INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS army and police, as well as to the military justice system. The security forces arrested According to local human rights groups, at and detained hundreds of civilians without least 220 people died in detention due to due process, many for non-criminal acts overcrowding, poor conditions and such as debt or land disputes. healthcare, and lack of food, among other In February, three activists from the citizens’ factors which could amount to torture or movement “Jicho la Raiya” (Eye of the other ill-treatment by the state. Some prisons People) were arrested in North Kivu for and detention centres held up to 500% over organizing a peaceful sit-in to protest against their intended capacity, as a result of alleged illegal taxes on roads and alleged dysfunction in the criminal justice system, mismanagement of a local healthcare especially in North Kivu and Ituri where the administration. They remained in arbitrary capacity of military courts, which took over detention in Goma city at the end of the year. the criminal jurisdiction over civilians under Two activists from civil society movement the state of siege, became even more limited Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) were in terms of geographical access and staffing. arrested in Goma in July and September, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY respectively, for saying that local authorities and staff of the Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi Bans on, or other suppression of, peaceful Foundation, established by the First Lady, demonstrations were common once again. diverted humanitarian aid intended for The authorities frequently banned rallies and survivors displaced by a volcanic eruption protests organized by opposition leaders and near Goma in May. Following a defamation activists, trade unions and civil society complaint to the military justice prosecutor by groups, while security forces violently the Foundation, they were held in arbitrary suppressed those that went ahead. In April, Amnesty International Report 2021/22 147