ARTICLE 3.
Section 10 is amended as follows:
Congolese nationality is either of origin or of individual acquisition.
Any person born on Congolese soil is Congolese of origin.
An organic law determines the conditions for recognition, acquisition, loss and recovery of Congolese nationality.
ARTICLE 4.
Section 11 is amended as follows:
Every life is sacred.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
However, the enjoyment of political rights is recognized only to the Congolese except for exceptions established by law.
The Congolese coexist as individuals and not as a group.
No one has the right to take another's life, except in cases of self-defense recognized by law.
Self-defense, in strict accordance with legal provisions, cannot, under any circumstances, be invoked as justification or excuse for homicide, whether committed by an individual or a group acting on behalf of an individual or a group.
The State is mandated to present any individual implicated in the homicide of a Congolese citizen before a Congolese court, without regard to the gender, religion, socio-economic status, residence, cultural background, or nationality of the perpetrator, even if the crime occurred beyond the nation's borders.
ARTICLE 6.
Article 18 is amended as follows:
Any person arrested must be immediately informed of the reasons for their arrest and of any charges brought against them, in the language they understand.
She must be immediately informed of her rights.
The person in custody has the right to immediately contact his family or his counsel.
Police custody cannot exceed forty-eight hours, whether by the police or the security services.
At the end of this period, the person in custody must be released or placed at the disposal of the competent judicial authority.
In the event of non-compliance with the forty-eight-hour deadline, the victim or their family has the right to take legal action to obtain the conviction of the agent for illegal detention and that of the State for damages.
Every detainee must benefit from treatment that preserves his life, physical and mental health as well as his dignity.
All forms of torture are prohibited.
If the torture is the work of the police or security services, the victim or their family has the right to take legal action to obtain the conviction of the agent for his dismissal and that of the State for damages and interests.
ARTICLE 7.
Article 23 is amended as follows:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression.
This right implies the freedom to express one's opinions or beliefs, through speech, writing, images, and public walk, subject to respect for public order.
No one can be subject to criminal prosecution for criticizing a public authority, even when using derogatory terms.
Members of the press as well as artists cannot be prosecuted, sought, arrested, or detained because of the opinions expressed by them in the exercise of their functions. They cannot be judged by their peers when the acts committed were committed during the exercise of their profession and the sanction can only be administrative and individual.
All Congolese have the right, individually or collectively, to submit a petition to the public authority which responds to it within three months.
No one may be subject to discrimination in any form whatsoever for having taken such an initiative.
ARTICLE 8.
Article 24 is amended as follows:
Everyone has the right to information.
Every citizen has the right to free access to government information, without distinction. No justification is necessary, but any refusal by the institution must be justified in writing within 48 hours. In the event of refusal, the citizen can take legal action to obtain the document, claim damages and hold the agent and the institution liable.
Freedom of the press, freedom of information and broadcast by radio and television, the written press or any other means of switching are guaranteed.
State audiovisual and written media are services to which access is free and is guaranteed equitably to all political, economic, and social trends.
The status of state media is established by law which guarantees objectivity, impartiality, and pluralism of opinions in the processing and dissemination of information.
ARTICLE 9.
Articles 60 and 62 are amended as follows:
Nobody is supposed to ignore the law.
Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Constitution is obligatory on public authorities and on all people.
Article 14 is repealed.
Title II – SOVEREIGNTY.
ARTICLE 10.
Section 5 is amended as follows:
National sovereignty belongs to the people. All power emanates from the people who exercise it directly through referendum or elections and indirectly through their representatives.
No section of the people nor any individual can take responsibility for its exercise.
The law sets the conditions for organizing elections and referendums.
Suffrage can be direct or indirect under the conditions provided for by the Constitution. it is always universal, equal, and secret.
All Congolese nationals of both sexes, enjoying their civil and political rights, are eligible to vote, under the conditions determined by law.
ARTICLE 11.
Section 9 is amended as follows:
The State exercises permanent sovereignty over the Congolese soil, subsoil, waters, and forests, over the air, river, lake, and maritime spaces as well as over the Congolese territorial sea and the continental shelf.
The terms of management and concession of the State domain referred to in the preceding paragraph are determined by law.
ARTICLE 12.
Article 214 paragraph 2 is amended as follows:
No transfer, no exchange, no addition of territory is valid without the agreement of the Congolese people consulted by referendum.
Article 217 is repealed.