Tshishimbi v. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Key Judgment
Legal Relevance
Keywords: Relatives as Victims | Effective Remedy | Admissibility | Interim/Urgent Measures
Themes: Characteristics of the Crime
The Committee found that removal of the victim and prevention of contact with his family and with the outside world constitute cruel and inhuman treatment. Relying on its prior jurisprudence, the Committee held that the right to liberty and security of a person may be invoked not only in the context of arrest and detention, but also in a situation when abduction took place under circumstances that have not been clarified.
Judgment Date
March 25, 1996
Country
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Judicial Body
Human Rights Committee
Articles violated
Article 2(3a) [ICCPR], Article 7 [ICCPR], Article 9(1) [ICCPR]
Articles not violated / not dealt with
Article 3 [ICCPR], Article 5 [ICCPR], Article 12(1) [ICCPR], Article 17 [ICCPR], Article 18 [ICCPR], Article 19 [ICCPR], Article 20(2) [ICCPR], Article 25 [ICCPR]
Facts of the Case
Mr. Katombe L. Tshishimbi was apprehended and brought to an unknown location during the night of 28 March 1993. Mass media reports suggest that Mr. Tshishimbi was detained at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service, where ill-treatment of detainees is known to be a common practice. His family had no access to him nor did they obtain reliable information about his whereabouts and state of health since the alleged abduction.