Speaking at the ceremony, UN Secretary General António Guterres once again express their deepest condolences to the families of Zaida Catalán and Michael Sharp, who attended the dedication event of Ammunition of abusea glass sculpture that appears in the form of a golden bullet.
Mrs. Catalán, a Swede, and Mr. Sharp, an American, are members of UN Expert Group on DRCsupport the work of a Security Council The commission oversees sanctions imposed on armed groups in the country.
‘A heinous crime’
“Zaida and Michael have dedicated their lives to promoting human rights and humanitarian action; and support the vulnerable,” speak Mr. Guterres.
They were abducted on 12 March 2017 while investigating reports of mass atrocities in the volatile Kasai region, following fighting between Congolese Government forces and armed militias. .
UN peacekeepers found their bodies two weeks later outside the city of Kananga. The fate of the interpreter and their three motorcyclists remains unknown.
In January, a Congolese military court sentenced 51 people to death for killing two experts.
“Their murder is a heinous crime”, said the head of the United Nations.
“That is an attack on the values of the United Nations – an attack on a mission that countless women and men around the world risk their lives every day to uphold. ”
Sadness and Sacrifice
Ammunition of abuse The secretary general said honors that mission by imagining the sadness of inanimate objects – in this case bullets – for the part they play in death and destruction.
“The United Nations continues to assist the Congolese authorities in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the murders of Zaida and Michael, and the disappearance of the four Congolese citizens who were with them,” he told the meeting.
Mr. Guterres thanked the Governments of Sweden and the United States, who donated the sculpture to the UN.
He also thanked Thommy Bremberg, the Swedish artist who created the sculpture, “for his message of empathy, and honoring the achievements and sacrifices of United Nations staff.”
