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Transnational Justice Initiative (TJI), an initiative working in partnership with 9BR Chambers, is establishing a Release Fund to secure the freedom of individuals subjected to medical detention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For as little as £50, it is possible to secure multiple people's freedom today. The sums required are in several of our cases shockingly small: a five-year-old girl is currently being held for 66,800 FC (approximately £20), another for just 7,500 FC (around £2), while an elderly woman of 67 remains detained for non-payment of 83,750 FC (approximately £25), and a 79-year-old for 24,600 FC (around £8). Even a small donation can bring an immediate end to unlawful confinement.
This fund operates alongside the preparation of strategic class action litigation aimed at challenging the ongoing and unlawful practice of detaining patients in hospitals and clinics because they are unable to pay their medical bills.
Despite a change in government policy in 2023, this practice persists across many regions of the DRC. Patients who are medically fit for discharge are routinely prevented from leaving healthcare facilities until their fees are paid and held in abhorrent conditions without legal basis.
TJI is uniquely positioned to respond. Through trusted local partnerships in the DRC, we are already documenting cases of medical detention, including the identities of those held and the precise fees required to secure their release. TJI works in close partnership with trusted local lawyers, Mr Mardoche Mutanda and Mr Pelé Cimanga Kalonji, who are collecting and verifying cases and will act directly on the donations received to secure individuals’ release.
We are currently in contact with close to 100 individuals in medical detention who require urgent release, and this number is growing daily. Those most affected are among the most vulnerable:
- women who have survived sexual violence,
- mothers recovering from childbirth,
- newborn babies, children, and the elderly.
Where funds are available, our partners can act immediately—paying verified medical debts directly to institutions and securing release without delay.
However, the need far exceeds current resources. The Release Fund is therefore critical. It provides an immediate, tangible mechanism to restore liberty while our longer-term legal challenges work to end the practice entirely.
Every donation is:
- Targeted – directed to verified cases
- Transparent – with funds reaching the point of need
- Impactful – resulting directly in the release of detained individuals
This is a rare opportunity to support an initiative that combines urgent humanitarian intervention with systemic legal reform.
We invite you to support this work and help secure the release of individuals who are being detained simply because they are unable to pay for medical care.
Please consider contributing to the Release Fund.
For more information about TJI, visit:
For further details on the Stop Arbitrary Detention Initiative with 9BR Chambers:
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