A/HRC/4/7 page 2 Summary The human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains worrying, particularly in the eastern part of the country and in northern Katanga, where national and foreign militias, as well as the Mai-Mai and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are committing atrocities and other massive human rights violations with impunity. The political situation in the first half of 2006 was mostly dominated by the preparations for, and holding of, the presidential and legislative elections, and the accompanying election fever. However, violations occurred - in some cases extremely serious ones - in virtually all spheres of human rights. The weakness of the judiciary and its lack of independence vis-à-vis the executive branch, which also controls judicial decisions, are also regrettable. In such a context, the independent expert recommends: − That the process of disarming militia and armed groups such as the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, the Interahamwe, the “Rastas” and the Mai-Mai should be accelerated; − That public freedoms should be respected in all circumstances, and mechanisms set up to combat impunity; − That all necessary measures should be adopted to ensure respect for the human person, in particular women and children; and that all trafficking and exploitation of all kinds should be stopped, especially the trivialization of sexual violence; − That the Government should strive to promote the independence of judges and magistrates and to provide the judicial system with a budget that will guarantee its independence.