Last Friday, a team of Dutch and Congolese forensic pathologists performed an autopsy in Kinshasa on the body of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire. The Netherlands and the European Union had called for a transparent, impartial investigation into the human rights defender’s sudden death.

As the cause of death could not be established conclusively on Friday, a further post-mortem examination will be conducted in the Netherlands. The conclusions of the autopsy will be announced in three to five weeks.

The three-person Dutch team was led by Frank van de Goot, a forensic pathologist with Verilabs. The head of the Congolese team was Tshomba Hondo.

‘I am glad that we could provide the expertise required quickly,’ Dutch foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said. ‘It is important to establish without doubt how Mr Chebeya died.’

Mr Chebeya, who was executive secretary of the national network of human rights NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was found dead in his car on 3 June. The news shocked the DRC’s international partners.In the autumn of last year he visited The Hague to discuss the human rights situation in his country.

The Netherlands will present the autopsy conclusions to a Procurator General in the DRC and, once the latter has completed his own investigations, to Mr Chebeya’s family.

On 3 June 2010 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, declared to be shocked by the death of Floribert Chebaya, the best-known human rights defender of the Democratic Republic of Congo: ‘The Netherlands will take the lead in expressing with our EU partners, our deep dismay to the authorities and will urge for clarification of the circumstances of his death.’

‘Chebaya has dedicated himself for more than 20 years to the cause of peace in his land. This is a big blow for everyone who regards the protection of human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo as highly important’, said Minister Verhagen.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston and Alan Doss, the head of the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also issued statements condemning the murder of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire. (more)

On 9 June 2010 a group of United Nations experts welcomed the suspension of the chief of the national police of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the arrest of several officers in the investigation into last week’s murder of the prominent human rights defender.(more)

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