Presidential elections will be held in Congo on December 20. In a statement, the Catholic bishops refer to a “tense political climate”.
The policy of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi initially gave hope for a rule of law, including through more openness in politics and the media, the release of political prisoners and the return of exiles, the bishops’ conference believes.
“Unfortunately, today we are witnessing a deplorable decline characterized by the violent suppression of opposition demonstrations, restrictions on the freedom of movement of opponents, attempts at discriminatory bills, the use of justice as a tool and arbitrary arrests,” the Congolese spokeswoman said. clergy. It also mentions “acts of violence and intimidation against us, the bishops”.