MOSCOW, October 20 (RIA Novosti) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has condemned the decision of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to order his top official to leave the country.
"Not only has my highly experienced and respected representative in DRC, Scott Campbell, been told to leave, but two other staff working in his team have been seriously threatened in recent days. This is unacceptable," Zeid said, as quoted on the official UN webpage Monday.
"Over the past few years, under the guidance of Mr. Campbell, the UN Joint Office for Human Rights in the DRC has been at the forefront of the fight to promote and protect human rights and combat impunity," the High Commissioner said, adding that "the fact that their work, mandated by the Security Council, has led to these acts of reprisal is a very disturbing development indeed."
The Democratic Republic of Congo ordered to expel Campbell, director of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the country on October 16. The order took effect the following day.
The expulsion came following the release of a UN report, which said that Congolese police executed at least nine men in the capital Kinshasa during a crackdown on gangs. The report, released by UNJHRO on October 15, also said that the police were also responsible for the disappearance of at least 32 people in the course of the crackdown operation.
