A leading Republic of Congo rights group on Wednesday blasted an increase in torture in the Central African country, warning cases had multiplied around tenfold in a year.
A report by the Centre d’Actions pour le Developpement (CAD) documented 122 torture cases in the first four months of 2024, up from 13 in the same period of 2023.
The report did not include figures for the remaining months of 2023.
CAD executive director Tresor Nzila called the findings “extremely worrying”, urging the government to “take steps to combat this practice”.
The authorities “must assume their responsibilities” and prosecute perpetrators, Nzila added.
Created in 2021, the CAD conducts and publishes an annual survey on the use of torture in the Republic of Congo.
At the report’s presentation in the capital Brazzaville, torture victim Roberto Lissassi told the audience of his 2023 ordeal.
“I lost my eyesight because of the torture,” the 27-year-old unemployed graduate told AFP.
“I can’t read or write. I no longer have any dignity.”
The country, also known as Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from its larger neighbour the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture.