CONGO (REPUBLIC OF THE) Republic of the Congo Head of state: Denis Sassou Nguesso Head of government: Clément Mouamba Dozens of political opponents remained in detention; some were prisoners of conscience. There were no investigations into allegations of torture and other illtreatment by security forces and prison guards. Armed conflict between security forces and armed groups continued in Pool; around 81,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from the area continued to live in appalling conditions; and the rate of acute malnutrition reached alarming levels. BACKGROUND The government conducted military operations, including air strikes, in the southeastern department of Pool. Government restrictions and the continuing armed conflict limited access to the area. The Congolese Labour Party won 90 of the 151 National Assembly seats in legislative elections in July while elections in Pool had been postponed indefinitely due to the conflict. On 23 December, the government and armed groups led by Frédéric Bintsamou (also known as Reverend Ntumi) signed up to a ceasefire in Pool. On 31 March, the Republic of the Congo ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. FREEDOMS OF ASSEMBLY AND EXPRESSION The authorities used restrictive legislation, relating to public gatherings and assemblies, to curtail the right to freedom of assembly. On 23 March, the Prefect of Brazzaville, the capital, rejected a request to hold a peaceful demonstration from the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights, the Association for Human Rights and Prison Amnesty International Report 2017/18 Conditions, and the United Forces for Freedom and Democracy. The organizations had intended, during the demonstration, to give the Prime Minister a letter raising concerns about the human rights situation. The right to freedom of expression was restricted. On 11 January, Ghys Fortuné Dombé Bemba, editor of the Talassa newspaper, was summoned by the judicial police in connection with charges of “complicity in undermining state security”. This followed his publishing a statement by Reverend Ntumi, leader of the “Ninjas”, an armed group operating in the Pool department. PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE In November Paulin Makaya completed a two-year prison sentence for participating in an unauthorized protest. However, he remained in prison at the end of the year as a result of additional charges brought against him on 6 January 2017 which included “undermining national security, complicity in a plan to escape from detention, and complicity in the unlawful possession of arms and munitions of war”. The charges related to a shooting in Brazzaville central prison in December 2016 in which, according to witnesses, he played no part. POLITICAL PRISONERS Little progress was made in judicial proceedings involving opposition leaders and members detained since 2015 for opposing changes to the Constitution, or the presidential election results. The opposition Initiative for Democracy in the Republic of Congo – Republican Front for the Respect of Constitutional Order and Democratic Change (FROCAD-IDC) – said that over 100 political prisoners remained in detention in Brazzaville central prison at the end of the year. Local human rights organizations compiled a list of names of 90 political prisoners held during the year. They included opposition leaders Okouya Rigobert of the Convention for Action, Democracy and Development (CADD); Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, a presidential candidate and retired army general; and Jean Ngouabi, a member of the latter’s campaign team. In January, 135