Jehovah's Witnesses in Zaire
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZAR0668 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses in Zaire, 1 November 1990, ZAR0668, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abed30.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Minority Rights Group report Jehovah's Witness in Africa, as of 1983 their were 28,126 active Jehovah's witnesses in Zaire. [ The Minority Rights Group, Jehovah's Witnesses in Africa, Report No. 29, (London: Expedite Graphics Limited, 1984), p.15.] The same report mentions that "the sect was illegal under Belgian rule, it was held responsible ... for the 1961 Luba rebellion and proscribed in 1966." [ Ibid., p. 3.] Amnesty International reported in 1980 that "in 1971 President Mobutu signed a law limiting the number of sects permitted to practice in Zaire. ... certain groups such as the Jehovah's Witness (some of who are known as Kitawalistes in Zaire) have never been officially recognized. Since 1971 Jehovah's Witnesses have been arrested and detained without trial for periods of from several months to several years." [Amnesty International, Human Rights Violations In Zaire an Amnesty International Report, (London: Amnesty International, 1980), p. 6.] The 1987 Amnesty International Report states that "[i]n March the Jehovah's Witness sect, which had been legalized in 1980, was banned. Amnesty International received reports of the detention without trial of Jehovah's Witnesses in Shaba region, and it appeared that arrests also occurred in other parts of the country. Efforts were also made to enforce legislation which prohibited other religious sects which had not obtained official recognition from practising." [ Amnesty International, 1987 Report Amnesty International, (London: Amnesty International, 1987), p. 119.]
