TRIAL International Fighting Impunity for international crimes phase 2 TRIAL International Ambassaden har arbetat med TRIAL International sedan 2019 och detta bidrag är den andra fasen i projektet för att bekämpa straffrihet och främja övergångsrättvisa i Kasaï-regionen. Projektet kommer att bygga på de senaste årens erfarenheter och skala upp de lokala aktörernas insatser för att bekämpa straffrihet och främja övergångsrättvisa i Kasaï-regionen. 

På nationell nivå syftar projektet till att bidra till genomförandet av den nationella reformen av rättsväsendet i Demokratiska republiken Kongo. Aktiviteterna i projektet är tekniskt och ekonomiskt stöd till kongolesiska icke-statliga organisationer och rättsliga aktörer i deras arbete med att dokumentera och utreda grova kränkningar av de mänskliga rättigheterna, gratis rättsligt bistånd till offer för internationella brott för att få rättvisa och gottgörelse, förstärkning av de lokala nätverken för samordning och samarbete mellan aktörer inom det kongolesiska rättssystemet; kostnadsfri juridisk utbildning och individuella mentorprogram för advokater, människorättsförsvarare och icke-statliga organisationer samt kongolesiska rättsliga aktörer; tillhandahålla tekniskt och ekonomiskt stöd till inrättandet av den provinsiella sannings-, rättvise- och försoningskommissionen; tillhandahålla tekniskt och ekonomiskt stöd till aktörer i det civila samhället när det gäller övergångsrättvisa. 

Projektet har flera olika målgrupper, bland annat offer för allvarliga kränkningar av de mänskliga rättigheterna, deras familjer och samhällen, advokater, människorättsförsvarare och aktivister samt lokala icke-statliga organisationer, rättsliga aktörer (civila och militära åklagare och domare) och den nyligen inrättade sannings-, rättvise- och försoningskommissionen. The embassy has worked with TRIAL International since 2019 and this contribution will be the second phase of its project to fight impunity and promote transitional justice in the Kasaï region. The project will build upon the experience gained in the last years and scale up the efforts to fight impunity and promote transitional justice by local actors in the Kasaï region. 

At the national level, the project aims at contributing to the implementation of the national justice sector reform in DRC. Activities in the project are technical and financial support to Congolese NGOs and judicial actors in their work to document and investigate gross human rights violations; free legal assistance to victims of international crimes in order to obtain justice and reparation; strengthening the local networks of coordination and collaboration among actors within the Congolese justice system; free legal training and individualised mentoring programs for lawyers, human rights defenders and NGOs, and Congolese judicial actors; provide technical and financial support to the deployment of the provincial truth, justice and reconciliation commission; and provide technical and financial support to civil society actors on transitional justice. 

There are several different groups of beneficiaries to the project, including victims of serious human rights violations, their families and communities, lawyers, human rights defenders and activists and local NGOs, judicial actors (civilian and military prosecutors and judges), and the newly established the truth, justice, and reconciliation commission. The general objective of the contribution is:

Fighting impunity and promoting transitional justice in the Kasaï region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by improving access to justice for victims of gross human rights violations, strengthening the capacities of Congolese actors to effectively document and prosecute these crimes, and supporting the implementation of adequate and inclusive transitional justice mechanisms.

Specific objectives are:

1: Improve access to justice for victims of international crimes in the Kasaï region.

a) Strengthening the documentation and investigation of gross human rights violations by local NGOs and judicial actors.

b) Improving access to Congolese tribunals for victims of international crimes and gross human rights violations (murder, sexual violence, torture, pillage, war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc.).

c) Increasing the performance of the Congolese justice system in the prosecution of international crimes by improving coordination and collaboration among actors working with judicial authorities on the fight against impunity.

2: Strengthen the capacities of Congolese professionals who support survivors who wish to access justice.

a) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese lawyers working in the Kasaï region to effectively represent victims of grave crimes before Congolese tribunals in their quest for justice and reparations.

b) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese human rights defenders and NGOs active in the Kasaï region to document gross human rights violations according to international standards and best practices in order to access justice as well as to facilitate victims' participation to the judicial procedures. 

c) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese judicial actors (prosecutors and judges) active in the Kasaï region to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes before Congolese tribunals. 

3:Support the implementation of adequate transitional justice mechanisms.

a) Support the operational deployment of the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation in Kasaï-central with the aim of attaining its objective of truth, justice and reconciliation with a victim-centered focus, consistent with international standards and best practices.

b) Strengthening the capacity of civil society actors in Kasaï-central working on the different pillars of transitional justice in order to coordinate their efforts and maximise the impact of thier engagement with the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation so as to obtain meaningful truth, justice and reparations for victims' communities.