Rights group welcomes prisoner releases

The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday said it welcomed the recent release of “more than 100” political prisoners in the DRC. In a statement, the organisation urged President Laurent-Desire Kabila to release additional detainees eligible for an amnesty announced by the government last month. “This is a significant step forward and the Congolese government must be commended for it,” the HRW statement said. A government commission was currently visiting prisons and security lockups to examine cases of political prisoners and decide whether to release them, but “administrative delays” had prolonged the detention of people entitled for release according to the terms of the amnesty, the statement added. Congolese state television last week reported that 89 prisoners had been released near Lubumbashi following the amnesty decree.