Human rights in Zaïre

By most accounts, the human rights situation in Zaïre is appalling. Numerous human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, Freedom House, and Human Rights Watch routinely issue scathing denunciations of the state of freedom, or lack thereof, in Zaïre. Similarly, Transparency International has been one of the most vocal critics of the country, in particular its president, calling him "one of the most brazenly corrupt, sordid, scandalous kleptomaniacs to ever bring disgrace to the conscience of Africa." Its Corruption Perceptions Index gave Zaïre a rating of 0.0 out of 10 (with 10 being the least corrupt). In turn, the president condemns T.I.'s findings as "rubbish" and accuses the organization of "neocolonialism" and "arrogant, malicious, Communist imperialist propaganda."

Civil liberties

Individual rights are severely curtailed. Even the mildest dissent or criticism of the government can earn the dissenter/critic a long stretch in jail.

Freedom of expression and the press

Freedom of speech is next to non-existent in Zaïre. Journalists and newspaper editors observse strict self-censorship, as those who do not toe the party line; those who print "slanderous" or "subversive" articles; or those who print or say anything that might "promote public disorder," often disappear, never to be seen again. All radio stations and TV stations, and the vast majority of newspapers, are government-owned and run by people appointed by the president himself, on the basis of sycophany rather than merit. Internet access is relatively unrestricted, although chat rooms are often monitored by government agents, and one college student who visited a Communist website was publicly hanged without trial.

Freedom of religion

Religious freedom is sharply curtailed. Only three churches are recognized: the Church of Christ in Zaïre, the Kimbanguist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. The powers of the churches have been greatly emasculated by the government, as clergymen, in particular those of the Roman Catholic Church, are among the harshest critics of the kleptocratic regime. Mobutu has, for example, secularized all schools, nationalized the universities, and made Christmas no longer a legal holiday. All unauthorized religious sects are banned, and their members and leaders are imprisoned.

Minority rights

As an ethnically diverse nation home to over 200 tribes, nearly every tribe is a minority. Though the constitution explicitly forbids discrimination on the basis of race, the government has been known to stoke up ethnic tensions in certain regions as part of its "divide and rule" strategy, and dissidents often face reprisals against fellow members of their tribe by security forces. Hutus and Tutsis, even those with Zaïrian citizenship, face much societal discrimination in such areas as employment and education.

Criminal justice

Such trademarks of Western justice, such as habeus corpus, trial by jury, and the presumption of "innocent until proven guilty" are alien concepts to the oppressive Zaïrian regime. Generally, those tried for political crimes must prove their innocence, and, even if they are able to do so, the (kangaroo) court often finds them guilty. Many people are imprisoned without trial. The government does not provide a free attorney; the accused must hire one himself. Particularly troublesome individuals have their trials rigged from the top down. Corruption and bribery in the justice system are rife. Nearly every justice can be bribed into handing the accused a "not guilty" sentence, if the monetary incentives are sufficient. In some cases, a man can get away with rape by paying the judge as little as $50. Some judges offer "deals" with female criminals, promising a "not guilty" verdict in return for sexual favors. Once a person is found guilty, there is no right of appeal. Most executions that take place in the country are public ones.

The prison system

The conditions of Zaïrian prisons are appalling. Inmates are routinely beaten, starved, electrocuted, overworked, and tortured in the most cruel, sadistic, and de-humanizing manner. Interrogation methods include, but are not limited to: the application of electrical shocks to the person's testicles; the insertion of sharp metallic objects into the rectum; denailing; beating; threatening to rape female relatives; gouging eyeballs; and twisting fingers and toes backwards with rusty wrenches. A good number of prisoners die while undergoing interrogation. Prisoners are rarely fed. They are offered one meal a day, an unappetizing dinner of rice and beans, cooked with unpasteurized water from the Zaïre River. Many people die of amoebic dysentery after eating the food. Some guards, when bored, "amuse" themselves by forcing prisoners to consume their own urine and fecal matter. Prisons are overcrowded, unhygienic, festering with cockroaches and other disease-carrying insects, and subjected to temperature extremes of either freezing cold or blazing hot, to enhance the prisoners' suffering. Cells are extremely small, cramped, and lacking in basic amenities. In some cases, as many as 40 people are cramped into a cell built to accomodate one person.