A/HRC/30/32 12. On 15 March 2015, around 30 civil society activists, including three nationals of Senegal, one of Burkina Faso, four of France and one of the United States of America, were reportedly arrested in Kinshasa by officers of the Congolese national police, the National Intelligence Agency and the military police during a workshop to encourage the participation of the youth in the democratic process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized by the civil society organization Filimbi. All were accused of attempting to organize an insurrection in the country and detained on Agency premises in Kinshasa. The foreign nationals were released, some were expelled from the country, and at least two Congolese were still being detained at the time of drafting the present report. In Goma, four civil society activists of the national non-governmental organization (NGO) Lutte pour le changement were arrested, on 7 and 8 April, during a public gathering requesting the release of their colleagues arrested in Kinshasa in the context of the workshop. They were charged with instigation to disobey public authority and provisionally released on bail by the Court of Appeal in Goma on 29 April. 13. While many demonstrators were charged with looting, destruction of property and insurrection, no State agent has so far been investigated or prosecuted for the extrajudicial executions and other violations committed to control the demonstrations. This raises questions as to the independence of the judiciary when dealing with cases against political opponents and civil society actors. 14. On 20 January 2015, the Government blocked access to text messaging services, the Internet and social media for several weeks to prevent the organization of further demonstrations. Those services were re-established, respectively, on 7 and 8 February and in early March. Some radio programmes and stations were also suspended during that period. For instance, on 17 January, Canal Kin Télévision, which belongs to opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, and Radio Télé Catholique Elikya were suspended for having allegedly broadcast inflammatory messages in connection with the draft electoral law. The radio branch of Radio Télé Catholique Elikya was reopened a few days later but its television service remains suspended. The signal of Radio France International was suspended on 21 January. 2. Action taken by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office 15. The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office followed closely the situation of civil society activists and political opponents arrested in connection with demonstrations and meetings in Kinshasa and Goma. For instance, it followed the case of Christopher Mutanda Ngoy, President of the NGO Synergies for Congo and Human Rights and an active member of the Save the Congo campaign, who was arrested on 21 January 2015 in Kinshasa and held incommunicado in the facilities of the National Intelligence Agency for three weeks before being brought before a judicial official on 10 February. At the time of writing the present report, he was being held in pretrial detention at Makala prison, in Kinshasa, facing 10 criminal charges. The Joint Office also followed the case of Fred Bahuma, the leader of Lutte pour le changement, who was arrested by agents of the Congolese national police and the National Intelligence Agency on 15 March, in Kinshasa, during the workshop organized by Filimbi. 16. Among political opponents, the provincial President of the opposition party Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie/Mouvement de libération de Kisangani, Ernest Kyaviro, was arrested on 22 January 2015 in Goma and transferred to National Intelligence Agency facilities in Kinshasa on 23 January. He was transferred to Makala central prison in Kinshasa on 20 April, after almost three months in detention, with limited access to external visitors. 17. The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office also provided legal support and targeted multifaceted protection assistance to human rights defenders, journalists and 6