E/CN.4/2000/9 page 64 sentenced by the State Security Court to one year's imprisonment on 1 June 1998. In December 1998, he was reportedly transferred to Kinshasa General Hospital for medical treatment. 302. Désiré Rugemanizi, chief of Kabare, was reportedly arrested 1998 together with several well-known individuals from Kivu du Sud criticized human rights violations in the region. He was allegedly members of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) in Bukavu before released in February 1998. in January for having tortured by being 303. Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, president of the non-governmental organization La Voix des sans-voix, was reportedly beaten in his home by armed men in uniform in March 1998. 304. Oswald Hakorimana, a human rights defender in the Kivu du Nord region, was allegedly beaten violently in March 1998 by soldiers who reportedly accused him of collecting information on civilian massacres. 305. By letter dated 4 October 1999, the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received information on the following two cases. 306. Albert Nsinga reportedly died on 22 December 1997 in a hospital in Kikwit after having been tortured. He was allegedly arrested on 11 December and beaten violently during his detention. 307. Fifi Ngombo is also reported to have died, on 29 November 1997, after having been beaten and raped by soldiers while incarcerated in Kingoma prison in Kikwit. She was allegedly accused of having had an abortion and arrested in November 1997. Urgent appeals and replied received 308. On 12 January 1999, the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Chairman/Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concerning Louis Botombili Kalome, vice-president of the human rights defence organization Les Amis de Nelson Mandela (ANM), who was reportedly arrested on 7 January 1999 and taken to Gendarmerie headquarters in Kinshasa, known as the "Circonscription militaire" or "Circo". He was allegedly arrested in connection with his efforts to promote human rights. 309. On 20 September 1999, the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal jointly with the Chairman/Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concerning Merikas Wetemwami Katembo, a member of the Collectif des jeunes du Sud-Kivu, who reportedly "disappeared" on 8 September 1999. He was allegedly seen in the confinement cell of the Presidential Protection Unit in the area of Gombé, Kinshasa. 310. On 6 October 1999, the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal jointly with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo concerning Urbain Nkwasandi, Rodolphe Matuka, Fidèle Mizele, Mafutu Kizola, Rufin Konda, Henri Mindele, Patrice Kulenguluka and several other persons whose names are not known to the Special Rapporteurs, all members of the Parti Lumumbiste unifié (PALU) who were reportedly arrested on 26 September 1999 by the national police at the end of a political meeting held