UN Warns Of Rising Hate Speech In DR Congo

Kinshasa, March 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Mar, 2021 ) :Political jockeying is driving a rise in hate speech in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations' human rights office in the country warned Monday.

"The rapid spread of hateful speech in the DRC, especially through social media, local radio, pamphlets and the press is a subject of major concern," the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) wrote in a report.

"Most are linked to the debate on Congolese citizenship, persistent impunity, conflicts over land and seasonal migrants, competition for power and the spread of fake news." Sixteen of 30 cases referred to the office between May and December last year met UN criteria for incitement to hatred, and the problem was spread across more than half the country in 15 of 26 provinces.

There was "just as much in provinces not affected by armed conflicts" like those racking the country's east, the UNJHRO and the UN's MONUSCO mission to the DRC said.

Hate speech "is both an early warning and itself a potential trigger for violence," the human rights office added.

It urged Congolese authorities to toughen up hate speech laws to meet "international human rights norms and standards so as to preserve freedom of opinion, expression (and) association".