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	DR Congo: Arrests of Young musicians, Democracy Activists by Human Rights Watch   The arrest of at least 26 activists and others in Kinshasa on March 15, 2015, raises serious concerns of a broader crackdown on free expression before the 2016 Democratic Republic of Congo presidential elections, Human Rights Watch said today.   The arrests, including of foreign journalists and a United States diplomat, followed a news conference by the pro-democracy youth movement Filimbi, organized with support from the US embassy in Kinshasa.   On March 17, 2015, the authorities arrested and roughed up at least 10 Congolese activists in the eastern city of Goma during a peaceful protest outside the office of Congo’s National Intelligence Agency (Agence Nationale de Renseignements, ANR), calling for the release of those arrested in Kinshasa. ANR agents beat a Belgian woman bystander who was later hospitalized, and briefly detained a Belgian journalist.   “The Congolese government’s detention of pro-democracy activists is the latest alarming sign of a crackdown on peaceful protest ahead of next year’s presidential elections,” said Ida Sawyer, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Congolese authorities should immediately release those detained if they haven’t been charged with a credible offense and ensure access to their lawyers and families.”   Human Rights Watch called on United Nations Security Council members, who are due to discuss the situation in Congo on March 19, to publicly press Congolese authorities to immediately release all those detained for their peaceful activities and speech.   Among those arrested on March 15 were Congolese activists, musicians, journalists, technicians, and bystanders; youth leaders and activists from Senegal and Burkina Faso; a US diplomat; two French journalists; and the French director of a production company. The US and French citizens and two Congolese were released after several hours. The others remain detained, possibly by the intelligence agency. They have not been brought before a judge, officially charged with offenses, or had access to their lawyers or families, raising concerns for their safety.   Following the news conference at the Eloko Makasi music studio, men in military police uniform arrived at about 4 p.m. and began arresting people. Witnesses said that the officers at first targeted foreigners. They then began arresting Congolese as well, including those who were preparing the concert stage, and bystanders. The security forces were very rough with several Congolese and West Africans, witnesses said, banging the head of a Senegalese activist against the door of a pickup truck and beating others.   The security forces also took computers and other documents and materials from the hall and destroyed banners.   The military police drove those arrested away in at least three unmarked, white pickup trucks. The US and French citizens were taken to the headquarters of the ANR in Kinshasa, where they were interrogated by senior intelligence officials, then released after several hours. It is not known where the Congolese, Senegalese, and Burkinabe citizens are being detained.   Several Congolese pro-democracy organizations had organized a workshop to introduce Filimbi (“whistle” in Swahili), a new Congolese youth movement. The workshop’s objectives were to promote civic engagement and youth mobilization, and to discuss how Congolese youth can organize in a peaceful and responsible manner to fulfill their duties as citizens.   Youth leaders and activists from Senegal and Burkina Faso came to Kinshasa for the workshop to share their experiences. The Senegalese were members of Y’en a Marre, a group involved in protests against former President Abdoulaye Wade’s controversial bid for a third term in 2012. Those from Burkina Faso were part of Balai Citoyen, a group that participated in protests against former President Blaise Compaoré’s attempt to change the constitution to extend his 27-year term.   “Y’en a Marre and Balai Citoyen are well respected organizations that have worked to promote responsible, civic engagement by youth in West Africa,” Sawyer said. “They came to Kinshasa to share their experiences with Congolese youth, including the importance of peaceful means for youth to engage in the political process.”   Filimbi worked in partnership with Eloko Makasi, a socially conscious music and video production company based in Kinshasa’s Masina neighborhood. Musicians who participated in the workshop went to the Eloko Makasi studio on March 14, 2015, to create a song based on what was discussed at the workshop to encourage Congolese youth to be involved in the democratic process and to promote a free, transparent, and peaceful electoral process.   In a March 16 statement, the US embassy in Kinshasa said the Filimbi workshop was one of many activities the US government supports that involve youth and civil society. “These well-known, well-regarded, non-partisan youth groups as well as the organizers of the weekend’s events intended to promote Congolese youth participation in the political process and encourage young people to express their views about issues of concern to them,” the statement said. “DRC government officials and ruling coalition parties were invited to and some were present during the event.”   Under Congo’s constitution, presidents may serve only two consecutive terms. President Joseph Kabila’s second term ends in 2016. While presidential elections are not scheduled until November 2016, political tensions have been rising across the country. In January 2015, at least 40 people were killed when security forces brutally repressed demonstrations in Kinshasa and other cities to protest proposed changes to Congo’s electoral law that would have delayed elections and enabled Kabila to prolong his term. Numerous political party and civil society leaders have been arrested after speaking out against proposed changes to the constitution or Congo’s electoral system.   “These latest arrests signal a worrying clampdown on freedom of expression and assembly in Congo – fundamental elements of a free, transparent, and peaceful electoral process,” Sawyer said. “Youth leaders, musicians, and activists should be able to meet, discuss, and learn without fear of arrest.” Visit the related web page
	Preventing illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing operations by Greenpeace, Stop Illegal Fishing, agencies   May 21, 2015   Greenpeace says Chinese vessels illegally fishing off Africa. (Reuters Africa)   Chinese fishing boats have been illegally fishing off West Africa, Greenpeace said on Wednesday, adding that Chinese companies expanded operations in Africa from 13 vessels in 1985 to 462 vessels in 2013, but the government claims they are within the law.   One fifth of China''s distant water fishing fleet now operated in Africa, Greenpeace said in a report, and was dominated by bottom trawlers, "one of the most destructive fishing gears in the modern fishing industry."   Over a 10-year period, 183 illegal fishing cases involving 118 Chinese vessels were reported in six West African countries - Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.   Within 26 days at sea, Greenpeace discovered an average of one new illegal Chinese fishing case every two days, noting these infractions were likely "just the tip of the iceberg".   China''s foreign ministry said Chinese fishing companies in Africa abided by the deals they have signed with governments in Africa.   But Greenpeace argued Chinese fishing operations in West Africa were a "double standard", as China had improved sustainability provisions in its own domestic legislation while continuing to defy laws in Africa.   Several of the illegal fishing cases occurred when African nations such as Guinea were trying to deal with Ebola, and as China offered assistance to African countries during the outbreak.   Many of the vessels tracked had not installed or turned on their Automatic Identification System devices, a system used globally to record data from ships activities.   The report singled out China National Fisheries Corporation, the country''s largest distant water fishing company, as a repeat offender.   Along with Dalian Lian Run Overseas Fishery Corp and Shandong Overseas Fisheries Development Co. Ltd., the company also under-declared its vessels gross tonnage, the report said, with its actual fishing capacity exceeding its authorised limit by 61 percent in the first half of 2014.   http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/New-evidence-shows-Chinese-West-African-governments-must-rein-in-rogue-fishing-fleet/   Madagascar fisheries ravaged by foreign plunder, by Wonder Chinhur. (Equal Times)   Maicon Ratsiraka, 48, throws his eyes far into the still waters surrounding the African island nation of Madagascar.   Ten years ago he and his two brothers would harvest 60 kilograms of sardines every week, earning US$370 during good times.   Today, his six metre-long boat can no longer sail the three kilometres into the ocean where significant populations of sardines and prawns are found.   If he does, his boat is likely to be impeded or attacked by the massive Chinese, Thai and South Korean vessels that illegally poach fish in the Indian Ocean surrounding Madagascar.   As a result, his income has tumbled. As of this January, his weekly catch now earns him a mere US$57.   “We feel powerless, ashamed, jobless,” says Maicon who works in Toamasina, the country’s biggest seaport and second largest city after the capital, Antananarivo.   “Big Chinese ships are robbing us of fish and wiping away our livelihoods.”   Situated off the east African coast, Madagascar has some of the richest fishing stocks on the continent. Its vast waters, however, are open to illegal, usually foreign, plunder.   Fishing statistics in Madagascar are poorly recorded but in 2008, an estimated 130, 000 tons of fish were caught in Madagascar.   But illegal fishing from foreign trawlers is threatening the livelihood of an estimated 100,000 people in 1250 coastal fishing communities across the country, but most severely in coastal cities like Toamasina and Nosy Be.   Local fishermen estimate that two foreign vessels can catch, process and freeze the same amount of fish that 30 open dhow boats can produce in one year.   These foreign pirate ships operate at night and are rarely caught, switching off their radio identification signals to evade police patrols.   Under the cover of darkness, gangs bring down illegal fishing nets fitted with deep hooks to trap high-value fish such as prawns, mackerel, tuna, shark and trout, which are then sold for a significant profit in the markets of Beijing, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.   For example, shark fin soup, a delicacy in China, sells for as much as US$300 per bowl.   The Madagascar Fisheries and Wildlife Commission, a government body that regulates fishing permits, told Equal Times that by 2001 the shark fish population around Toamasina was decreasing by a rate of six per cent per year.   Fast forward to the period between 2005 and 2014, and that rate had jumped to 23 per cent.   “The fall in fish stocks is alarming for a poor island like ours,” Antonio Jengar, a government statistician, in Toamasina told Equal Times.   The Antananarivo Boat Fishers Agency, an affiliate of the national Confederation of Malagasy Workers, says that in 2004 there were 406 boat fishers under its membership. In 2015, only 159 remain in employment.   “Most fishermen are discouraged by falling fish levels and boats rendered useless by Chinese poachers,” says Asiko Bombay, the union’s treasurer.   He says that many unemployed fishers have sold their boats in order to try their hand at rice farming instead.   “Foreign vessels are operating from gigantic mother ships fitted with instant freezing technology,” says Andrei Gatts a water ecology manager with the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG), a consortium of international zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens and universities working with the Malagasy government to protect the country’s biodiversity.   Working through the night, they use smaller speed boats to supply mother ships lying further out at sea.   Prog Messa is leading a group of 100 fishermen in a court case to try and force the government to ban Chinese trawlers from fishing within 30 kilometres of the country’s shores.   “The Chinese are grounding us,” he said. “They are trying to stop us from fishing. They use mighty strength.”   Madagascar may have some of the world’s most precious marine species and 90 per cent of its wildlife cannot be found anywhere else on earth – but this is now at risk.   Meanwhile, marine tourism, which has created 10,000 direct jobs in towns like Toamasina and Morondava, is under serious strain.   “The Chinese don’t respect Madagascar’s marine life at all,” says Gatts.   Volanirina Ramahery, a marine program coordinator for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), tells Equal Times that there are laws in place to protect marine life in Madagascar but they “are not properly implemented”.   If this continues, the social and environmental results could be “very negative”.   “If they carry on as they are, they will push the ecosystem to the brink of collapse.   “The disappearance of sharks, for example, would devastate local marine habitats. A collapse in the shark fishing industry threatens economic stability and means a loss of direct livelihoods for thousands of fishermen.”   However, the government of Madagascar, weakened by decades of political instability, is powerless to stop the plunder of its sea wealth.   Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries with an income capita of just US$419, has just 11 police speed boats to patrol its 4828 kilometre coast.   Bombay claims that some police officers and public prosecutors are bribed by rich foreign ship owners to turn a blind eye to the plunder.   According to the Transparency International, Madagascar ranked 133 out of 175 in the world’s most corrupt countries index for 2014.   MFG says some Chinese ships are using DDT, a dangerous pesticide banned by the UN Stockholm Convention, in order to kill large quantities of fish at once.   But DDT also kills periphery sea life, and inhuman beings DDT has been linked to the development of some cancers and reproductive health complications.   Local workers who sound the alarm and challenge the trawler face intimidation and even violence.   Some whistle-blowers have been attacked with machetes by gangs hired by the poachers or have had their creaky boats taken apart at sea.   It is no surprise, therefore, that some local fish workers end up joining the illegal fish trade.   With no prospect of finding other work, some fishers ending up killing sharks to sell to the Chinese ships, earning as much as S$170 per kilogram.   “It’s an ecology disaster, horrible, I know,” admits one boat worker, “but this money feeds my family”.   Workers from rural villages are also being recruited to aid the poachers.   They use their hard-earned savings to spend US$800 on the promise of getting well-paid jobs on high seas ships.   But these recruitment scams leave workers at the mercy of poachers who force them to toil for weeks and even months on end without pay.   Inside the captive ships many complain of sharing cardboard bunks and working 18-hour shifts.   And instead of monetary payment some workers receive frozen fish which are of little value in the country’s fish markets.   “Men duped this way work at sea for weeks in Chinese ships with little air, in temperatures of 40°C, 50°C,” explains Genevieve Hodyo a local lawyer working with the fishermen’s union to get compensation for abused workers.   On various fronts there is a fierce battle taking place for control of Madagascar’s fish resources, and given the country’s fragile political and economic state, ensuring that the people of Madagascar actually benefit from its marine wealth will be crucial for the island’s future.   02-04-2015   Tribunal throws lifeline to coastal states facing foreign vessel threats to fisheries.   Gland, Switzerland: Countries facing depletion of their fisheries by foreign vessels have been thrown a lifeline, with an international tribunal ruling that countries can be held liable for not taking necessary measures to prevent illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing operations by their vessels in the waters of other countries.   The ruling is included in an Advisory Opinion issued today by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)on the application of the West African Sub Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) – comprised of Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.   WWF, which has long sought clearer definition of flag state obligations for vessels, supported the action and filed two Amicus Curiae (friend of the tribunal) briefs during the deliberations.   "This is a very welcome ruling that could be a real game changer," said WWF International Marine Programme Director John Tanzer. "No longer will we have to try to combat illegal fishing and the ransacking of coastal fisheries globally on a boat by boat basis."   The Advisory Opinion stated that countries have a duty of due diligence to ensure that their fishing vessels do not engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the waters of other countries and can be held liable for breach of this duty.   The Advisory also holds that the European Union can have the same due diligence duty as a flag State, when they are the party to fisheries access agreements with other states.   Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in coastal waters costs the world $US20 billion annually, undermines fisheries management and robs coastal communities of food and livelihoods.   West African waters are believed to have the highest levels of IUU fishing in the world, representing up to 37% of the region''s catch.   The due diligence obligation means that flag States will have to take enforcement actions to ensure their vessels comply with the laws of SRFC member states and take measures necessary to ensure that their vessels comply with protection and preservation measures adopted by the SRFC member States.   The Tribunal also strengthened the obligations of neighbouring coastal states to each other, stating that ''The conservation and development of shared stocks in the exclusive economic zone of an SRFC Member State require from that State effective measures aimed at preventing over-exploitation of such stocks that could undermine their sustainable exploitation and the interests of neighbouring Member States.''   http://www.stopillegalfishing.com/news.php Visit the related web page
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