Serious allegations regarding the presence of a mass grave holding 421 bodies in Maluku commune, Kinshasa province were received by the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo* last month. The Office has since been working closely with the authorities over the past few weeks, including by supporting the judicial investigation into these very serious allegations. We are also conducting our own independent human rights investigation, including by carrying out site visits and interviewing witnesses and family members of victims.
We will continue to support the Government and urge them to ensure that the judicial investigation is promptly completed in a transparent, credible and independent manner.
* The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), established in February 2008, comprises the Human Rights Division of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the DRC (OHCHR-DRC).
