Kinshasa, April 8th, 2025 (CPA) – A directory of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been created by a decision of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), made public on Monday and consulted by the CPA. ‘In application of article 7 paragraphs 3 and 4 of law n°23/27 of June 15th, 2023 relating to the protection and responsibility of human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a national directory of human rights defenders (HRDs) is created’, reads article 1 of the decision.
According to the source, in order to be included in the national directory, human rights defenders must submit to the Technical Secretariat or the provincial representative of the CNDH in their area a number of documents, including a request for registration addressed to the President of this institution supporting democracy, a duly completed registration request form, and a copy of their national identity card or any other valid identification document. The decision also stipulated that once a human rights defender is registered, he or she obtains a national identification number that enables him or her to benefit from the protection and guarantees provided by Congolese law.
It was also pointed out that this directory will be regularly updated with new registrations and additional information. Decision No. CNDH/007/PRES/PNM/01/2025 of 07 April 2025 was debated and deliberated at the plenary meeting of the CNDH-RDC and signed by Paul Nsapu, President of this civic institution. The decision highlighted the importance of registering HRDs with the CNDH-RDC in order to guarantee their identification and security, as well as respect for their rights and obligations. It also referred to Article 11 of the law on the protection and accountability of HRDs, which requires HRDs to send an annual report on their activities to the CNDH. CPA/