Alphonse Luanda Kalyamba
Alphonse Luanda Kalyamba was the Director of Centre d’Encadrement d’Enfants Rescapés non Accompagnés et Orphelins (CERAO), an organisation started in 1991, where he worked on projects focusing on the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers and managed a shelter for ex-child soldiers.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains volatile and human rights defenders (HRDs) remain at grave risk. They continue to operate at serious personal risk in an atmosphere of violence, hostility and instability. Absence of the rule of law and a climate of impunity prevail. As a consequence of carrying out activities such as investigating and exposing atrocities, combating sexual violence, advocacy with respect to the elections, and independent journalism, many HRDs have been subject to threats and attacks.
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.
