As part of its candidature for the Council, Congo submitted a "pledge" to protect human rights. Here's what a large majority of UN states evidently took seriously:
- "The Republic of the Congo declares its candidacy for re-election to the Human Rights Council as a testament to its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms...the Constitution of the Congo is a legal instrument that enshrines its commitment to the universal values of peace, freedom, equality, justice, tolerance and probity, and to the virtues of dialogue. It guarantees all citizens' civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights."
- "Major human rights problems included beatings and torture of detainees by security forces, poor prison conditions, and lengthy pretrial detention. Other human rights abuses included: lack of due judicial process; arbitrary arrest; political prisoners; infringement of citizens' privacy rights; restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association; refugee abuse; restrictions on the right of citizens to change their government peacefully; restrictions on the activities of opposition political groups; official corruption and lack of transparency; discrimination against women; sexual and gender-based violence, including domestic violence, child abuse, female genital mutilation/cutting, and forced child marriage; trafficking in persons; lack of access for persons with disabilities; discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, particularly toward indigenous people."