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U.N.: DRC elections marred by violence

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 20 (UPI) -- Congolese military and security forces likely committed serious human rights violations during an election season in the DRC, U.N. investigators said.

Courts in the Democratic Republic of Congo upheld election results from November that indicated President Joseph Kabila beat opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.

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Western leaders questioned the credibility of the election, though U.N. officials had said having elections were a challenge in DRC, one of the least developed countries in the world.

Navi Pillay, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, called on Congolese authorities to investigate alleged abuses tied to the elections.

"We have heard multiple accounts of Republican Guards shooting live ammunition into crowds and of the torture of arbitrarily detained individuals," she said in a statement.

"The authorities must ensure that such grave violations of human rights are investigated, perpetrators brought to justice and that those who remain illegally detained are released without delay."

A U.N. investigation found that at least 33 people were killed in Kinshasa by security forces late last year. At least 83 other people were wounded and at least 16 people have disappeared. The report added that there were "consistent" reports of torture in the country.

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Most of the abuses alleged by the United Nations targeted "real or perceived" supports of Tshisekedi, the report added.

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