Lucha
LUCHA is a non-violent and non-partisan youth civil society movement founded in June 2012 in Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The movement advocates for social justice and accountability in the DRC through campaigns and encourages Congolese citizens to fight for the promotion and respect of human rights. Since President Joseph Kabila’s announcement to postpone the DRC presidential elections, which would unconstitutionally extend his 2-term mandate, LUCHA and its members have been instrumental in organising civil society to call for the respect of the rule of law and human rights in DRC. They have advocated for a peaceful transition of power including fair and timely elections.
Congolese human rights defenders are frequent targets of intimidation, judicial proceedings, stigmatisation, death threats, arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detentions, gender based violence, ill treatment in prison including refusal of access to lawyers and medical care, physical assault and in some cases torture or killing by DRC government agents or armed groups. Many HRDs are frequently forced into hiding as a result of the threats against their security and the safety of their families.
