A/HRC/27/42 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.20 The event brought together a broad range of speakers, including the Minister of Justice and Human Rights and the Minister of Gender, Family and Child Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the Rule of Law Component of MONUSCO, the Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United Nations in Geneva, one NGO representative and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The fight against impunity was discussed, as well as the questions of prevention, multisectoral assistance to survivors, and reparations. Various interventions from Member States conveyed the need for further action to strengthen the justice system, protect victims and witnesses, and ensure the affordability and accessibility of justice. 40. Public reporting has remained a core activity of UNJHRO and has been a tool for contributing to the fight against impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights and the activities of her Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2013,21 public reports were issued on human rights violations committed on election-related human rights violations,22 and on the fight against impunity for sexual violence.23 The latter documented more than 3,600 victims of rape perpetrated by State agents, mainly FARDC soldiers, and members of armed groups, and analysed some of the challenges in the administration of justice during 2010–2013. V. Situation of journalists, human rights defenders and political opponents 41. The situation of human rights defenders and journalists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains precarious as, owing to their activities, they continue to be victims of killings, death threats, physical attacks, intimidation, harassment, and arbitrary and/or unlawful arrests and detention by State agents and armed groups. UNJHRO has recorded human rights violations against more than 40 human rights defenders and 20 journalists during the period under review. 42. UNJHRO recorded several cases involving security and defence forces harassing, intimidating, and confiscating equipment from journalists. For instance, in July 2013, in Kolwezi, Katanga province, two journalists from a local television station were beaten and had their cameras confiscated by PNC agents after filming the forced eviction of a family. In another incident, on 20 January 2014, in Goma, North Kivu province, a journalist from an independent radio station was reportedly beaten and his video camera confiscated by an agent of the Republican Guard who had accused him of investigating the illegal allocation of plots on the shores of Lake Kivu to FARDC soldiers. 43. Armed groups also targeted human rights defenders. For example, in August 2013, in Kawankolo, Pweto territory, Katanga province, a human rights activist was reportedly killed by a group of Mai Mai Kata Katanga combatants. The victim had denounced human 20 21 22 23 A summary of the dialogue is available from www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/ DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14435&LangID=E. A/HRC/24/33 of 12 July 2013. See MONUSCO/OHCHR, “Report by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office on the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”. See MONUSCO/OHCHR report, “Progress and obstacles”. 13