the prosecutor opened an investigation against Moise Katumbi for alleged recruitment of mercenaries, but later allowed him to leave the country to receive medical care. Another court case was then brought against Moise Katumbi, relating to a real estate dispute, and he was sentenced in his absence to three years’ imprisonment. This rendered him ineligible to stand for the presidency. On 20 January, the Minister of Communication and Media decreed the closure of Radio-Television Nyota and Television Mapendo – both owned by Moise Katumbi – on the basis that they had not complied with their tax obligations. The staterun media regulatory agency, Higher Council for Broadcasting and Communication, said that taxes had been paid and called for the stations to be reopened. Despite this, both remained closed. Dozens of journalists were arbitrarily detained. On 19 and 20 September, at least eight journalists of international and national outlets were arrested and detained while covering the protests. Several of them were harassed, robbed and beaten by security forces. On 5 November, the signal of Radio France Internationale (RFI) was blocked and remained blocked at the end of the year. Around the same time, the signal of Radio Okapi, the UN radio station, was interrupted over a period of five days. On 12 November, the Communication and Media Minister issued a decree barring radio stations without a physical presence in the DRC from having a local frequency. The decree stated that, from December, the stations could only broadcast through a Congolese partner radio station with the agreement of the Minister. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS At least three human rights defenders were killed by known or suspected security agents in Maniema, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. A police officer was convicted of the killing of the human rights defender in Maniema and sentenced to life imprisonment; the sentence was reduced to Amnesty International Report 2016/17 36 months on appeal. A trial in relation to the killing in North Kivu started in September. The authorities increasingly targeted human rights defenders who took a public stand on the presidential term limit or documented politically motivated human rights violations. Many defenders faced arbitrary arrest, harassment and increased pressure to stop their activities. In February, the South Kivu government promulgated a decree on the protection of human rights defenders and journalists. At the national level, the UN, the National Human Rights Commission and several human rights NGOs worked on a proposal for a law to protect human rights defenders, but it has not yet been discussed in parliament. CONFLICT IN EASTERN DRC Human rights abuses remained rampant in eastern DRC, where conflict continued. The absence of state authorities and gaps in the protection of civilians led to deaths. Abuses by armed groups Armed groups committed a wide range of abuses including: summary executions; abductions; cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; rape and other sexual violence; and the looting of civilian property. The FDLR, the Forces for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri (FRPI) and various Mai-Mai armed groups (local and community-based militias) were among those responsible for abuses against civilians. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continued to be active and commit abuses in areas bordering South Sudan and the Central African Republic. In Beni area, North Kivu, civilians were massacred, usually by machetes, hoes and axes. On the night of 13 August, 46 people were killed in Rwangoma, a neighbourhood of Beni, by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group from Uganda that maintains bases in eastern DRC. Violations by the security forces Soldiers committed human rights violations during operations against armed groups. 139