Kinshasa : Revision of Law No. 23/027 on the Protection and Accountability of Human Rights Defenders Validated During Two-Day National Workshop

In Kinshasa, human rights defenders and civil society actors validated on February 20, 2026, the citizen’s draft revision of Law No. 23/027, following a national workshop organized by ACEDH. This step aims to amend provisions deemed risky and to strengthen the legal protection of defenders ahead of advocacy efforts with the authorities.

In the MAIKO hall, gradually filled with focused attention, open dossiers, and pens in hand, participants reached a major milestone: the collective validation of the citizen draft for the revision of Law No. 23/027 on the protection and accountability of human rights defenders. From the early hours of a rainy morning, the atmosphere was studious. Participants divided into working groups. Three circles formed, each scrutinizing the content of the draft proposal for the law’s revision. Discussions were technical and sometimes animated. Some leafed through annotated versions of the law, while others quietly reread articles considered sensitive. Here, a provision was labeled “vague,” there, a paragraph was flagged as a potential threat to the activities of defenders. The exchanges reflected a common concern: to transform a contested law into a genuine legal shield.