constituteproject.org • Emergency provisions • Inalienable rights • Prohibition of cruel treatment • Prohibition of torture • Prohibition of slavery • Freedom of religion • Freedom of opinion/thought/conscience PDF generated: 18 Apr 2016, 15:22 Article 61 In no case, even when the state of siege or the state of urgency has been proclaimed in accordance with Articles 85 and 86 of this Constitution, can there be derogation of the rights and fundamental principles enumerated as follows:   1. the right to life;   2. the prohibition of torture and of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments or treatment;   3. the prohibition of slavery and of servitude;   4. the principle of the legality of infractions and of penalties;   5. the right to [a] defense and the right to recourse;   6. the prohibition of imprisonment for debts;   7. the freedom of thought, of conscience and of religion. Chapter 4: Of the Duties of the Citizen • Duty to obey the constitution Article 62 There is no excuse of ignorance of the law. All persons are required to respect the Constitution and to comply with the laws of the Republic. • Duty to serve in the military Article 63 All Congolese have the sacred right and duty to defend the country and its territorial integrity in the face of an external threat or aggression. Obligatory military service can be instituted under the conditions determined by the law. All national, provincial, local and customary authorities have the duty to safeguard the unity of the Republic and the integrity of its territory, under penalty of high treason. • Right to overthrow government Article 64 All Congolese have the duty to oppose any individual or group of individuals who seize power by force or who exercise it in violation of the provisions of this Constitution. Any attempt to overthrow the constitutional regime imprescriptibly constitutes an infraction against the Nation and the State. It is punished in accordance with the law. Congo (Democratic Republic of the) 2005 (rev. 2011) Page 17