UN: Human rights defenders in DRC risk reprisals, abuses

A United Nations expert warned Wednesday that human rights defenders in conflict-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo face a high risk of reprisals and serious abuses. The French News Agency (AFP) says Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur about human rights defenders, expressed her "extreme concern" over the situation facing activists in eastern DRC. Meanwhile, the United Nations says the conflicts there and in Sudan continue to create humanitarian crises. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, briefed journalists Wednesday in New York.