Skip to main content

Denis Mukwege on 24 hours protection after he received death threats for demanding justice for crimes committed in Congo

UN places Nobel Peace Prize winner, Denis Mukwege on 24 hours protection after he received death threats for demanding justice for crimes committed in Congo
Denis Mukwege

The United Nations has redeployed military troops to guard Nobel Peace Prize winner, Denis Mukwege, after he received death threats for demanding justice for serious crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

Mukwege, a joint winner of the Nobel peace prize in 2018 alongside Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict - is a gynecologist whose career has spanned more than 20 years.

 

During his career, he has spoken against several crimes going on in his homeland of Congo.

 

Denis, who is also a pentecostal pastor, founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels.

 

Mukwege survived a major assassination attempt in October 2012 when armed men entered his home, fired shots and killed his bodyguard.

 

The assassination attempt came several weeks after a speech at the United Nations where he denounced the Democratic Republic of the Congo's 16-year-long conflict and called for justice for the crimes and killings.


Mukwege, on social media and UN meetings, has often asked for the implementation of recommendations of a 2010 UN investigation which described more than 600 alleged violent incidents occurring in Congo between 1993 and 2003. He has also been vocal against Rwanda's alleged involvement in the Congo crisis.

 

Now, the UN wary of another attemot on his life, has put him and his family under 24 hours protection by UN military.

 

The UN said the recent threats against Dr. Mukwege via social media and in direct phone calls to him and his family "followed his condemnation of the continued killing of civilians in eastern DRC and his renewed calls for accountability for human rights violations and abuses."

 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also recently warned Mukwege is "at serious risk."

In a tweet on Thursday September 10, Mukwege said: "We welcome the redeployment of elements from #MONUSCO to #Panzi this morning to ensure the safety of our patients and staff," 
"Thank you to the #UN for ensuring our protection."

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Two teenagers arrested for raping 14-year-old girl in Ogun State

                            Two teenagers, Abiodun Ishola (19) and Kehinde Oloyede (18), have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in Obantoko. The Command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects were arrested April 28, 2018 following a complaint from the victim who reported to the police. He said the victim, a hairdressing apprentice, said she was going to her boss’ shop on that day, and unknown to her, there was restriction of movement due to a sanitation exercise. He said one of the suspects, Ishola, who was sitting down in front of his father’s house informed her of the restriction of movement and asked her to come and stay in their house till the exercise ended. The victim told the police that while she was staying with Ishola, he took her bag inside...

Woman cuts off her husband's penis because she suspect him of cheating

A wife chopped off her husband's penis with a pair of scissors while he was brushing his teeth because she suspected he was cheating after starting a new job. The man, named only as Li, from the Jiangxi Province city of Fengcheng, told shocked medics that his wife maimed his genitals in a desperate attempt for him not to stray. He said his possessive wife attacked him while he was naked in the bathroom at about 7.30 in the morning. After she inflicted the injury on him, he managed to cover his blood-drenched groin to stop the bleeding before taking himself to a hospital. Doctors said they had successfully reattached Li’s penis but warned him to be extra careful while recovering. But reports from Knews and Sohu claim that even if he heals properly, he might never be able to have sex properly again as a sudden erection could damage new blood vessels. Police are said to be investigating the case.

EFCC kicks against the acquittal of ex-Sokoto governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, vows to appeal judgement

                      EFCC has described as “shocking and unacceptable”, the ruling by Justice Bello Abbas of the Sokoto State High Court which on July 31 discharged and acquitted a former governor of Sokoto State Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and four others of a 22 count charge of conspiracy, criminal misappropriation, theft and receiving of stolen funds. Others acquitted alongside Bafarawa are Beedash Nigeria Limited, Nasdabap Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Nasiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and Alhaji Salihu Maibuhu Gummi. In the course of the trial EFCC had called nine witnesses and presented several documents that were admitted in evidence while the defendants called only six witnesses. Surprisingly, Justice Abbas discharged and acquitted the accused persons of all counts on the premise that the evidence presented by the prosecution were “mere hearsay”, that there were “no documentary evidence” to back up the claim of witnesses...