A/RES/57/233 (b) All massacres and atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as constituting indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force, in particular those occurring in areas held by armed rebels or under foreign occupation, referring in this regard to the statement by the President of the Security Council of 23 July 2002 on the massacres that occurred in the region of Kisangani on 14 May 2002 and in the ensuing period, 11 and urges that all perpetrators be brought to justice, referring in this regard to the statement by the President of the Security Council of 18 October 2002; 12 (c) The reprisals against civilian populations in parts of the country controlled by the Congolese Rally for Democracy, Rwanda and Uganda; (d) The occurrence of cases of summary and arbitrary execution, disappearance, torture, beating, harassment and arrest, the persecution of individuals and the arbitrary detention for long periods of persons, including journalists, opposition politicians, human rights defenders, people who have cooperated with the United Nations mechanisms and other members of civil society; (e) The indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations and on hospitals in areas held by rebels and by foreign forces; (f) The recruitment and use of child soldiers by armed forces and groups, including the abduction of children throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in contravention of international human rights standards; (g) The widespread use of sexual violence against women and children, including as a means of warfare; 3. Expresses its concern at: (a) The adverse impact of the conflict on the situation of human rights and its severe consequences for the security and well-being of the civilian population throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the increase in the number of refugees and displaced persons, in particular in the eastern part of the country; (b) The breaches of freedom of expression, opinion, association and assembly throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular in the eastern part of the country; (c) The intention of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to suspend the moratorium on the carrying out of the death penalty; (d) The illegal exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in view of the link between that exploitation and the conflict; (e) The excessive accumulation and spread of small arms and the distribution, circulation and illicit trafficking of arms in the region and their negative impact on human rights; (f) The severe insecurity, which seriously hampers the ability of humanitarian organizations to secure access to affected populations, particularly in the zones held by armed rebels and under the control of foreign forces, while _______________ 11 12 4 S/PRST/2002/22. S/PRST/2002/27.