Zaida Catalán

Zaida Catalán (6 October 1980 – March 2017) was a Swedish politician who was a member of the Green Party and leader of the Young Greens of Sweden between 2001 and 2005.[1]

Zaida Catalán
Born(1980-10-06)6 October 1980
Stockholm, Sweden
DiedMarch 12, 2017(2017-03-12) (aged 36)
Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo
NationalitySwedish

She was known for her work in activism including environmental issues, animal rights, and human rights (including support of Sweden's sex purchase law; see Prostitution in Sweden).[2]

Catalán was kidnapped and murdered while on a UN mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in March 2017. Investigation into the crime is continued through March 2018, and critics allege the UN was irresponsible in sending her to a high-conflict zone with limited training and support. On 29 January 2022, a DR Congo court sentenced over 50 people for the murders of Catalán and her American colleague Michael Sharp.

Biography

Early life

Zaida Catalán was born in Stockholm but grew up in Högsby in Småland.[3] Her mother was Swedish while her father had come to Sweden as a political refugee from Chile in 1975.[4] She studied law at Stockholm University, obtaining a Master of Law degree.[5]

Political career

With a background as an animal rights activist she in 2001 became the leader of the Young Greens of Sweden. After two years as the leader of the organisation along with Gustav Fridolin and two years along with Einar Westergaard, she resigned as leader of the Young Greens in 2005.[4]

In late 2008, she announced her candidacy for the European Parliament for 2009.[6] After an internal voting within the party she came fifth in the party's list for the parliament. After her personal campaign she received 16,300 in the election, which wasn't enough to get a place in the European Parliament.[7][6] After the Swedish general election in 2006 she was part of the Stockholm City Council for the Green Party.[6]

In December 2010, Catalán announced that she was to leave her work as a lawyer for the Green Party's parliamentary group and she was to start work as an expert on sexual violence for the European Union police work EUPOL in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[8][9]

Kidnapping and murder

On 12 March 2017, Catalán and another UN employee, American Michael Sharp, were kidnapped during a mission near the village Ngombe in the Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[10] They were both found dead on 27 March.[11] The UN was reportedly horrified when a grisly video of the killing of the two UN experts surfaced in April 2017.[12] Catalán was found in a shallow grave;[10] the body was beheaded, presumably as some kind of ritual (muti) by the murderers,[13] but despite the arrest of two primary suspects by Congolese authorities, the head was never found.[14][15] On 26 March 2018, one of the perpetrators, Vincent Manga, was captured by Kananga's military authorities and moved the investigation into a new direction in order to solve the incident.[16]

On 29 March, Swedish authorities launched an investigation into the murder of Catalán; the Minister for Education Gustav Fridolin and the Prime Minister Stefan Löfven both expressed their dismay and sadness over her death and offered their condolences to her family.[17] UN Secretary-General António Guterres also offered his condolences.[18]

Criticism of the U.N. has been expressed about the U.N.'s approach to the mission of their two experts.[19] They were sent into a remote and violence-torn area on motorbike taxis with only an interpreter at their side and without much training, safety equipment or even health insurance, an "astoundingly irresponsible approach by the United Nations to an obviously dangerous and hugely important task."[20]

Trials and sentences

Over 50 people were tried for the murder of Catalán and her American colleague. On 29 January 2022, 51 people were sentenced in a DR Congo court[21] to a variety of punishment, including death penalty and life imprisonment, the lowest sentence being 10 years of imprisonment.[22][23] The sentences can be appealed.[24]

Homages to her memory

On February 20, 2018, the Zaida Catalán Room at the Chilean Embassy in Sweden was inaugurated.[25]

In 2018, NOHA foundation (Network On Humanitarian Action) started a scholarship program in her memory.[26]

In 2020, the Folke Bernadotte Academy was tasked by the Swedish Government to establish a scholarship aimed at supporting the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. The scholarship was established in memory of Zaida Catalán.[27]

See also

References
  1. "Two U.N. officials of U.S., Swedish nationality kidnapped in central Congo". Reuters. 13 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  2. Sawyer, Ida; Stearns, Jason (14 June 2017). "Opinion - The U.N.'s Tragic Inaction on Congo". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  3. "Congo-Kinshasa: Two United Nations Workers Kidnapped in DRC". AllAfrica.com. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017 – via AllAfrica.
  4. "Bodies of two UN investigators found in Congo - govt". RTÉ. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  5. "Catalán Zaida / Candidates / Sweden / EU map: who signed ILGA-Europe's Pledge / Be Bothered – European Parliament 2009-2014 / Working with the European Institutions / How we work / Home / ilga - ILGA Europe". Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. "Zaida Catalán: Getting the vote out for a greener Europe". The Local. 20 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  7. "Rights Group: Congo Must Help Search for Missing UN Staff". VOA News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  8. "MONUSCO: Search continues for abducted UN experts in DR Congo". Africa Times. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  9. "Zaida Catalan - det blir svårt att uträtta något bra". Jusektidningen (in Swedish). 2011. Archived from the original on 23 July 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  10. "Kasai unrest: UN experts found dead in DR Congo". BBC News. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  11. "Congo finds Caucasian bodies where U.N. experts disappeared". CBS News. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  12. Experts kiiled in the Congo Archived 2017-04-24 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 21 May 2017
  13. Meurtre de deux experts de l'ONU: la RDC présente une vidéo Archived 2017-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 05 August 2017|(In French)
  14. DRC Exclusive report Part 1: Kasai massacre villages await UN inquiry Archived 2018-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 05 June, 2018
  15. For 2 Experts Killed in Congo, U.N. Provided Little Training and No Protection Archived 2017-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 05 August, 2017
  16. RDC : arrestation de l’un des « acteurs principaux » soupçonné du meurtre des experts onusiens au Kasaï Archived 2018-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 24 April 2018
  17. "Wallström kräver att mordet på Catalán klaras upp - DN.SE". Dagens Nyheter. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  18. TT. "Krav på att mordet på Catalán klaras upp". Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  19. U.N. criticized for dangerous mission Archived 2017-06-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 21, 2017
  20. New York Times opinion: U.N. Congo murder Archived 2017-05-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 27, 2017
  21. "DR Congo issues death sentences for murder of UN experts". BBC News. 29 January 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  22. "DRC: 51 people sentenced to death over 2017 murder of two UN experts | Democratic Republic of the Congo | The Guardian". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  23. Ross, Aaron (30 January 2022). "Dozens sentenced to death over murders of U.N. experts in Congo". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  24. "DR Congo court set for verdict in murder of UN experts". MSN News. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  25. Inauguración del Salón Zaida Catalán - Embajada de Chile en Suecia Archived 2020-09-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 5, 2018|(In Spanish)
  26. Stipendium till minne av Zaida Catalán Archived 2020-09-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 5, 2018|(In Swedish)
  27. "Scholarship in support of women, peace and security in memory of Zaida Catalán". FBA. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2022-01-31.

Further reading
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