WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

Human Rights Watch - Link to Full Article:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/11/dr-congo-m23-rebels-committing-war-crimes

 

CONGO - M23 REBELS COMMIT WAR CRIMES - AGAINST WOMEN & GIRLS +

 

September 11, 2012 - (Goma) – M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are responsible for widespread war crimes, including summary executions, rapes, and forced recruitment. Rwandan officials may be complicit in war crimes through their continued military assistance to M23 forces, Human Rights Watch said. The Rwandan army has deployed its troops to eastern Congo to directly support the M23 rebels in military operations......"

 

"Since June, M23 fighters have deliberately killed at least 15 civilians in areas under their control, some because they were perceived to be against the rebels, Human Rights Watch said. The fighters also raped at least 46 women and girls. The youngest rape victim was eight years old. M23 fighters shot dead a 25-year-old woman who was three months pregnant because she resisted being raped. Two other women died from the wounds inflicted on them when they were raped by M23 fighters."

 

"M23 rebels have committed abuses against civilians with horrific brutality, Human Rights Watch said. Just after midnight on July 7, 2012, M23 fighters attacked a family in the village of Chengerero. A 32-year-old woman told Human Rights Watch that the M23 fighters broke down their door, beat her 15-year-old son to death, and abducted her husband. Before leaving, the M23 fighters gang-raped her, poured fuel between her legs, and set the fuel on fire. A neighbor came to the woman’s aid after the M23 fighters left. The whereabouts of the woman’s husband remain unknown......"

 

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Women Make Movies

http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c827.shtml?utm_source=JFS+New+Release&utm_campaign=JFS+NR+Sept+2012&utm_medium=email

 

CONGO - JUSTICE FOR SALE - COURAGEOUS WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER

 

 

Direct Link to Film Segment:

http://www.wmm.com/advscripts/wmmvideo.aspx?pid=191

 

Justice for Sale

A film by Ilse van Velzen & Femke van Velzen

Netherlands/Congo, 2011, 84 minutes, Color, DVD, French/Swahili/Lingala, Subtitled

 

JUSTICE FOR SALE follows the young, courageous Congolese human rights lawyer Claudine Tsongo who refuses to accept that justice is indeed “For Sale” in her country. When she investigates the case of a soldier convicted of rape, she becomes convinced his trial was unfair and uncovers a system where the basic principles of law are ignored—and when the system fails, everyone becomes a victim. The documentary not only provides a glimpse into the failings of the Congolese judicial system but also raises questions about the role of the international community and non-governmental organizations in reforming it. Does their financial support cause justice to be for sale? And who pays the price?

This is the third documentary in Dutch filmmakers Ilse and Femke van Velzen’s trilogy about the Congo, following FIGHTING THE SILENCE, about the consequences for victims of sexual violence and WEAPON OF WAR, confessions by those who perpetrated the acts. These films are essential viewing for anyone interested in the issues facing contemporary Africa.