Despite political progress towards a democratic state based on the rule of law, ongoing violence has hampered the effectiveness of the judicial system.
A new Transitional Constitution providing for the independence of the judiciary was promulgated on 4 April 2003. However, the judiciary’s situation is still worrying, since impunity is the norm, and corruption and interference by the executive are widespread.
In 2003 and 2004, 1,700 magistrates were intermittently on strike demanding the effective independence of the judiciary. Attacks against lawyers have continued to occur regularly.
Democratic Republic of Congo-Attacks on Justice 2005-Publications-2008 (full text, PDF)