Event Summary
The Congolese Human Rights Observatory (OCDH)—an NGO dedicated to defending and promoting human rights—was barred from holding a press conference to release its 2026 report on the human rights situation in the Republic of the Congo.
The OCDH had planned to release its annual report on February 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., in the meeting room of the United Nations Information Centre (CINU) in Brazzaville, which had been duly reserved for this event.
On the morning of 27 February 2026, OCDH officials were contacted by CINU meeting room managers and notified of the government’s formal ban on the meeting, on the grounds of “disturbing public order.”
The executive director of OCDH stated that she had no choice but to move the ceremony to the headquarters of another organisation in order to evade the scrutiny of security services. Consequently, the ceremony was ultimately held that same day in the presence of several diplomatic missions and local and foreign media outlets.
On 9 March 2026, the Consortium of Associations for the Promotion of Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law (CAPGED) issued a Position Paper in which it stated that “this act illustrates an unacceptable abuse of power that serves to reinforce the repression of freedom of expression” and “it is essential to re-establish an open dialogue between the Congolese authorities, the United Nations, and civil society organisations to prevent such violations in the future.”