'Brutal and rampant' torture and rape used to crush political dissent in Democratic Republic of Congo, report warns

Of 74 men and women included in report, all women had been raped, as had two-thirds of men

Woman walks past military lorries in Kinshasa ahead of DRC elections (Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are using “brutal and rampant torture” and sexual abuse to silence political dissent, a human rights report has warned.

Ordinary citizens were subject to sexual torture, burning and electric shocks and were forced to witness the torture and killing of others, the Freedom from Torture report said.

“The kinds of torture we are looking at are truly horrific,” Steve Crawshaw, policy and advocacy director at Freedom from Torture, told The Independent. “It is quite extraordinary that uniformed guards can feel it is acceptable to do this and for it to go on without punishment.”

The report was based on the accounts and medical examinations of 74 Congolese men and women and found all of the women had been raped, as had two thirds of the men.

It found gang rape was common, with more than half of those who were raped describing multiple perpetrators while others watched. They said the rapes were sometimes accompanied by beating, burning and cutting as further punishment.

“They are using torture as a tool to silence, and to oppress them so they cannot express themselves,” one survivor said.

Another recalled how their torturer told them: “We got you. You will suffer.”

Freedom from Torture’s report, A Tool of Silence: Torture to Crush Dissent, comes a month ahead of general elections in Congo, which will determine a successor to the country’s incumbent president, Joseph Kabila.

Elections were originally scheduled to be held in November 2016, but they were delayed and the government promised to hold them by the end of 2017 – a promise it later broke.

The report found that those who were abused often had their human rights violated at the point of their arrest.

Mr Crawshaw emphasised the majority were not political leaders but were involved in political opposition and social justice campaigns, and had been arrested for taking part in protests or even wearing political t-shirts.

Many reported violence, particularly those who were detained from their homes or demonstrations, and the majority were held in overcrowded and filthy detention sites in the capital, Kinshasa.

The majority were raped, the report said, with other methods of torture including beatings, electric shocks and being forced to stare into the sun. They were also threatened with death and further torture and forced to perform humiliating acts.

Freedom from Torture called on the UK and other governments to stop forced returns to the Congo.

Mr Crawshaw said: ”If people are in danger of being tortured when they return, they should not be returned in those circumstances.”

He said governments must make sure the government of the Congo does not turn away from the issue and holds those responsible to account.

“It’s no good saying we didn’t know about this. This is documented with forensic detail. That needs to be brought into any discussion.”

The Independent has sought comment from the Congo embassy in London.