Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) - Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ratification: 2001)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 1(a) of the Convention. Prison sentences involving an obligation to work imposed as a penalty for the expression of political views. Since 2005, the Committee has been drawing the Government’s attention to certain provisions of the Penal Code and other legal provisions regulating freedom of expression under which criminal penalties (penal servitude) entailing compulsory labour (section 8 of the Penal Code) may be imposed in the situations covered by Article 1(a) of the Convention, namely:

– Penal Code, sections 74–76: injurious allegations and insults; sections 136–137: contempt towards members of the National Assembly, the Government and depositaries of the public authority or law enforcement officers; section 199bis and ter: dissemination of false rumours liable to alarm the population; section 209: dissemination of tracts, bulletins or leaflets of foreign origin or inspiration liable to harm national interests; section 211(3): display in public places of drawings, posters, engravings, paintings, photographs and all objects or images liable to cause a breach of the peace.

– Sections 73–76 of Act No. 96-002 of 22 June 1996 establishing arrangements for the exercise of freedom of the press, which refer to the Penal Code for the definition and punishment of press-related offences.

– Legislative Ordinance No. 25-557 of 6 November 1959 on penalties to be applied for infringements of general measures.

– Legislative Ordinances Nos 300 and 301 of 16 December 1963 on the punishment of offences against the head of State and foreign heads of State.

The Committee asked the Government to provide information on the application in practice of the abovementioned provisions so that it could examine their scope.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that section 5 of the Penal Code provides for compulsory labour among applicable penalties and section 5bis provides that the period of compulsory labour may range from one to 20 years. The Government also indicates that the penalty of penal servitude cannot be deemed equivalent to the penalty of forced labour. However, the Committee notes that, under section 8 of the Penal Code, any person sentenced to penal servitude shall be employed either inside the prison or outside the prison in one of the types of work authorized by the prison regulations or determined by the President of the Republic. It stresses once again that the Convention protects persons against the imposition of any kind of compulsory labour, including the compulsory labour imposed within the sanction of penal servitude and not only against the imposition of forced labour, in the five instances covered by Article 1.

Moreover, the Committee notes that the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, at its 35th session (June 2017), expressed deep concern at reports of: restrictions on the freedoms of peaceful assembly, opinion and expression; violations of the right to liberty and security of person; threats against and intimidation of members of political parties, civil society representatives and journalists; and arbitrary detention (A/HRC/35/L.37).

The Committee also notes UN Security Council resolution 2360 (2017), in which the Security Council called for the immediate implementation of the measures specified in the 31 December 2016 agreement to support the legitimacy of the transitional institutions, including by putting an end to restrictions of the political space in the country, in particular arbitrary arrests and detention of members of the political opposition and of civil society, as well as restrictions of fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of opinion and expression, including freedom of the press (S/RES/2360 (2017)).

The Committee expresses its concern at the current human rights situation in the country and recalls that restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms, including the freedom of expression, may affect the application of the Convention if such restrictions can result in the imposition of penalties that involve compulsory labour. In this regard, the Committee recalls that the Convention prohibits the use of compulsory prison labour as a punishment for the expression of certain political views or for opposition to the established political, social or economic system. The Committee urges the Government to take the necessary measures to bring the abovementioned provisions of the Penal Code, of Act No. 96-002 of 22 June 1996, of Legislative Ordinance No. 25-557 of 6 November 1959, and of Legislative Ordinances Nos 300 and 301 of 16 December 1963 into conformity with the Convention in order to ensure that no penalty entailing compulsory labour (including compulsory prison labour) can be imposed for expressing political views or views ideologically opposed to the established political, social or economic system. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on progress made in this respect.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.