20100605
Reuters

The United States said on Friday it was deeply concerned by the "apparent assassination" of a Congolese human rights activist and offered to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo investigate his death.

Floribert Chebeya, head of the national network of human rights organizations and the Voice of the Voiceless, was found dead in his car in Kinshasa on Wednesday after being called to a meeting with the Inspector General of Police, General John Numbi, on Tuesday evening.

Human rights groups said they believed government officials may have been involved but police reports suggested a scenario involving a sexual liaison.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a transparent and independent investigation on Wednesday and said the world body was prepared to help through its mission in Congo.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley made a similar offer from the United States.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the apparent assassination of noted Congolese human rights leader Floribert Chebeya Bahizire," Crowley said in a statement.

"The United States ... calls for an immediate and independent investigation and autopsy, with U.N. oversight, to determine the cause of his death," he added.

"At the conclusion of these investigations, those deemed responsible must be held accountable," he said, saying the United States stood ready to provide forensic experts to help.

Chebeya, who campaigned to uphold the constitution and improve prison conditions, had been harassed by authorities in the past and a report this year by rights group Amnesty International said he was at risk.

Over the past decade, Chebeya had focused on human rights abuses in some of the most politically sensitive issues in Congo, including corruption in the military and links between militias and foreign political forces.