A/HRC/27/42 B. Actions taken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 35. UNJHRO has continued to provide assistance to the justice authorities in the fight against impunity, including technical and logistical support to bring investigators and magistrates to sites where human rights violations have been committed. More specifically, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and national and international NGOs, UNJHRO provided support to four missions,16 conducted by judicial authorities in various parts of the country, to investigate human rights violations, including extrajudicial or summary executions, torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary and/or unlawful arrests and detention. 36. For example, from 6 to 12 January 2014, a joint team, composed of UNJHRO staff members, other MONUSCO colleagues and personnel from the Military Prosecutor’s Office were deployed to Irumu territory, Orientale province, to investigate allegations of human rights violations committed in the context of FARDC military operations against FRPI combatants. The investigation resulted in the arrest of 18 FARDC elements who have since been charged with various crimes, including summary executions, rape, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention. Four were released due to lack of evidence. 37. During the reporting period, UNJHRO also provided logistical and technical assistance to three mobile court hearings,17 in collaboration with other partners. For instance, it provided financial support to mobile court hearings in Kalehe, South Kivu province, from 19 to 28 May 2014. As a result, the South Kivu military court convicted five FARDC soldiers and two PNC agents of sexual violence, issuing sentences ranging from four to 15 years of imprisonment. UNJHRO monitored the trial and observed that due process had been observed. The victims and the accused had legal representation and protection measures were implemented to protect the victims who testified during closed hearings. Besides ensuring accountability, another benefit of such hearings was the visibility of justice in the communities where the violations occurred. 38. The fight against impunity was a prominent item during the visit of the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 2013.18 The Deputy High Commissioner reiterated the OHCHR commitment to assisting the authorities in the fight against impunity for gross human rights violations and discussed how to move forward with prosecutions concerning emblematic cases, including rape cases and other gross human rights violations committed in Walikale and Bushani, North Kivu province, in Ituri, Orientale province, and Minova, South Kivu province.19 She stressed the need to prosecute all perpetrators of sexual violence, including high-ranking officers. 39. On 25 March 2014, the Human Rights Council, with OHCHR support, held a highlevel dialogue on lessons learned and continuing challenges in combating sexual violence 16 17 18 19 12 To South Kivu, North Kivu, Equateur and Orientale provinces. Of the three hearings supported by UNJHRO during the reporting period, two were in South Kivu and one in Equateur province. From 22 to 28 August 2013, the Deputy High Commissioner, Flavia Pansieri, visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (see OHCHR press release, “Respect for human rights key to stabilization succeeding in DRC”, 28 August 2013, available from www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13667&LangID=E). See MONUSCO/OHCHR report, “Progress and obstacles”, paras. 36–41.