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Pastor ‘tortured’ in Congo after Sweden deportation

A Congolese pastor who was deported from Sweden last week after losing a long-running fight for asylum was reportedly beaten upon returning to his home country, just as his Swedish supporters had feared.

Pastor 'tortured' in Congo after Sweden deportation

“I have been severely tortured and beaten, and there are pictures of damage that will show you the scars that will remain,” pastor Jean Kabuidibuidi wrote in an email to a Swedish refugee activist.

Kabuidibuidi, 41, is an outspoken critic of the regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo and came to Sweden in 2003 to seek political asylum.

However, the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) denied his request, ruling that Kabuidibuidi’s life would not be at risk should he return to Congo.

After being held for the past four months at an immigrant detention centre outside of Stockholm and managing to avoid deportation on three separate occasions, Kabuidibuidi was whisked away by police and deported in secrecy on the night of Friday, February 24th.

The pastor’s representative in Sweden, Claes Strömvall, was not even told of the move, and called the deportation “deplorable”.

“The police wouldn’t give me any information yesterday and cited security concerns,” Strömvall said in a statement on Friday.

At first, Kabuidibuidi’s supporters weren’t even sure he had been deported, only receiving confirmation the following day from a cryptic SMS sent by the pastor to a supporter in Sweden.

“He is such a strong critic of the Congolese regime, and Congo is a dictatorship of divine grace. Everyone knows how they treat people there except the Swedish Migration Board,” Strömvall told Expressen newspaper.

“We have argued that he could be imprisoned, tortured or executed. Now all of these have been done except the execution.”

Kabuidibuidi was allegedly taken away upon arrival, before being beaten and then set free. He is now believed to be recovering in hospital.

“I have been tortured. They took all my money and my clothes. I am damaged and have pain all over my body. Now I am in hospital,” he wrote in a text message to Expressen.

According to the Migration Board’s rules, asylum seekers are usually allowed to stay in Sweden if there is a risk of them being tortured.

However, the agency concluded that, based on available information, there was little chance that Kabuidibuidi would be tortured when he returned to Congo, according to Expressen.

But the pastor’s supporters in Sweden continue to contest the decision, especially in light of Kabuidibuidi’s claims that he has been tortured.

“The pictures of the injured Pastor Jean show, in all probability, he has been subjected to torture and that the Migration Board has been wrong in their contention that they are no risks for Jean to be deported to the Congo,” Maria Furusand, a pastor of Elimkyrkan in Stockholm, said in a statement.

“The Swedish government has put Jean’s life at risk. Now, the rules must be revised so that no more people will be deported from Sweden to be tortured.”

The Migration Board, meanwhile, stands by its decision.

“Our decision is based on the information we had access to,” spokesperson Johan Rahm told Expressen.

Rahm also emphasized that it remains unclear whether or not Kabuidibuidi was actually tortured.

“I don’t think you can draw that conclusion. The information that has come to light is unconfirmed,” he said.

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FIRE

Police arrest 30 protesters after Congo riot causes fire

Paris police arrested dozens of protesters on Friday who burnt scooters and bins outside a concert venue hosting a Congolese singer they accuse of giving a voice to the Kinshasa regime.

Police arrest 30 protesters after Congo riot causes fire
Gare de Lyon train station was partially evacuated. Photo: Julien Claus/AFP
The nearby Gare de Lyon train station was partially evacuated during the chaos and police warned Parisians to stay away as a thick, black column of smoke billowed over the city centre.
   
Authorities had banned protests around the concert by singer Fally Ipupa at the AccorHotels Arena in the capital but dozens turned out in anger nevertheless, facing off with the artist's fans and trading insults.
   
“With their music, they (the Congolese government) are bringing an entire people to their side while they slaughter and rape women and children,” opponent Willy Dendebe told AFP at the scene.
   
“I have been here (in France) for 30 years because of them! Thirty years and we let them be here in France as if nothing has happened. So yes, we are angry!”
   
Police said 30 people were arrested and 54 fined for participating in a banned protest, while train traffic was severely disrupted.   
 
On Twitter, Paris police denounced the “unacceptable violence” and posted a video of what it said was “scandalous behaviour” by protesters shown wielding large roadworks barriers to prevent firefighters from getting to the flames.
   
Outside the station, AFP witnessed a dozen firetrucks at work amid the smouldering wrecks of about 30 vehicles, mainly scooters. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner condemned the violence and damage caused in the area, while National Assembly member Eric Ciotti described the events as an “unacceptable urban riot”.
   
Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen called the demonstrators “scum” on Twitter and asked: “What image does our country give to the world?
 
'It's a shame'
 
Congolese expats regularly speak out against artists from home who perform in France or Belgium, accusing them of being close to former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila and his successor Felix Tshisekedi.
   
Tshisekedi took office in January 2019, succeeding President Joseph Kabila, who stepped down after 18 iron-fisted years at the helm. Many see Tshisekedi as an extension of his predecessor.
   
Last month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the Congolese army and other state agents committed rights violations in the conflict-wracked central African country.
   
Just days earlier, Amnesty International delivered a damning assessment of Tshisekedi's government, saying “insecurity and impunity continue to threaten human rights progress” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
   
Lwangi Bienvenu, an Ipupa fan who travelled from Belgium for the concert, observed the chaos from his hotel near the Gare de Lyon.   
 
“It's a shame. He's Congolese, we should all be behind him,” Bienvenu said of the singer. “People will talk about the bad inside us. They put people in danger and they will now surely cancel the concert.”
   
Paris has had its share of violent demonstrations in recent months with protesters ranging from the anti-government “yellow vests” movement to workers striking against pension reform setting fire to public property and smashing store windows during several marches, and clashing with police.
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