A/HRC/33/36 2. Action taken by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office 17. The Office continued to monitor the cases of representatives of civil society who were arrested during demonstrations and meetings in Kinshasa.6 The health of Christopher Ngoy Mutamba, president of the NGO Synergies Congo, culture et développement (Congo, culture and development synergies), who was arrested on 21 January 2015 in Kinshasa and held incommunicado by the National Intelligence Agency until he was brought before the court on 10 February 2015, has deteriorated significantly. He is in pretrial detention in Kinshasa and his trial is still ongoing. 18. From June 2015 to May 2016, the Office organized or supported 60 training sessions on human rights topics pertaining to the electoral process throughout the country, benefiting over 4,132 participants, including representatives of civil society, political and administrative authorities, PNC officers, journalists and political stakeholders. 19. The Office has also provided legal support and targeted, multifaceted protection assistance and dealt with 115 cases of threats and human rights violations against 54 human rights defenders, 8 journalists and 53 other victims and witnesses of violations. The lack of a national legal protection framework can lead to serious violations, such as on 17 March 2016, in Bukavu, where a human rights defender who was the coordinator of the NGO Organisation populaire pour la paix was killed in his home by armed men wearing the uniform of the Congolese national police. 20. Although no significant progress has been made on the adoption of a bill on the protection of human rights defenders, the Office has been involved with the adoption in South Kivu province of an edict to protect human rights defenders and journalists, 7 including through technical support to the steering committee on the edict and through awareness-raising efforts. B. Arbitrary deprivation of the right to life 21. The Human Rights Committee has recommended that the Government should investigate any forced disappearance or arbitrary execution reported to it and prosecute and punish the perpetrators, advocating the granting of adequate compensation to the families of the victims.8 1. Current situation and action taken by the Government 22. The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office has documented the commission of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary deprivation of life by State agents, including in areas not affected by conflict. From June 2015 to May 2016, State agents were responsible for at least 41 violations of the right to life in the western part of the country, with 56 victims. 23. The majority of these extrajudicial executions and other violations of the right to life were committed by members of FARDC (53 per cent) and the Congolese national police (43 per cent) and involved the unjustified or disproportionate use of force or firearms. For example, on 17 April 2016, during a peaceful demonstration in Kolwezi, members of the Congolese national police and FARDC soldiers fired at the crowd with live ammunition, killing 6 people and injuring 22. Eight national police officers and three FARDC soldiers were arrested during the investigation of these incidents. 6 7 8 GE.16-13984 A/HRC/30/32. Edict No. 001/2016 of 10 February 2016 on the protection of human rights defenders and journalists in South Kivu province. CCPR/C/COD/CO/3, para. 15. 7