15 02 12 -Ongoing Electoral Process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The
United States continues to
closely monitor the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, and the hundreds of legal disputes
against some legislative election results. We urge Congolese authorities to
conduct a full, thorough, and transparent investigation into these disputes, and
to release vote tabulation and other records related to the elections and their
outcome.

We
remain deeply concerned about multiple allegations of human rights abuses by
security forces, including illegal and arbitrary detentions throughout the
electoral process. The Congolese government should fully investigate such
reports, hold anyone found responsible fully accountable, and take concrete
steps to ensure that security forces exercise restraint and respect people’s
rights of assembly and of peaceful protest. We call on all Congolese leaders and
their supporters to act responsibly and to publicly renounce
violence.

Despite
these concerns, we encourage all political parties to participate fully when the
National Assembly is seated in order to preserve and protect the basic
democratic principle of representative government in the Congo.
The United
States remains steadfast in its support of the
Congolese people as they work to build a brighter, more democratic future for
the DRC.