They are held in prisons in Kinshasa and Kananga, where they have reportedly been tortured. Arbitrary arrests are multiplying, especially by the security services whose numbers are increasing and which function outside of any legal framework. Cases of torture, including flogging, are regularly reported in the security services detention centers. FAC soldiers often erect checkpoints on roads in the interior of the country in order to extort and to harass the population. Torture has also been noted at these checkpoints as well.
Arbitrariness is nearly complete.
The agents of these services therefore have wide powers to arrest, detain, and investigate, which are not limited by laws nor controlled by judicial authorities. Basic judicial guarantees do not apply when dealing with these services. The country is experiencing a state of emergency that is even more dangerous since it is legally undeclared. In one year, the new regime will have imprisoned more journalists and human rights activists than the Mobutu regime did in seven. Even the slightest contact with a foreigner or a diplomat is considered sufficient proof of such a plot, and it is up to the accused human rights activist to prove his or her innocence.