health care and social services. The Complainants insist that the existence of the Batwa in conditions of 'destitution has resulted in increased rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, malnutrition and morbidity in the community'. 70. The Complainants also point out that the Batwa continue to be subjected to violence by State agents, in the form of extrajudicial killings of individuals trying to enter the forest in search of food and traditional medicines. For all these reasons, the Complainants conclude that the DRC has violated and continues to violate Article 4. Alleged violation of Article 8 71. The Complainants allege a violation of the right to freedom of religion under section 8 of the Charter. in support of this allegation, they report that the KahuziBiega forest is the centre of the Batwa's religious and spiritual life. According to the Complainants, the religious beliefs and practices of the Batwa are intimately linked to their traditional way of life in the Kahuzi-Biega forest. 72. In the same vein, the Complainants argue that the eviction of the Batwa from the Kahuzi-Biega forest has deprived them of access to their ancestral lands, which not only prohibits them from worshipping their gods and ancestors, but also prohibits them from organising their religious ceremonies in the forests and from properly burying their dead in their ancestral homes 73. In light of these facts, the Complainants conclude that the DRC has violated Article 8 of the Charter. Alleged violation of Article 14 74. The Complainants allege a violation of the right to property under Article 14. They point out that the eviction of the Batwa community constitutes a serious encroachment on the Batwa's right to property that 'is not in accordance with applicable law and is totally disproportionate to a public nod or general community interest'. 75. In support of this allegation, the Complainants state that the Kahuzi-Biega forest is the ancestral home of the Batwa community and that the community draws benefits from the forest's resources and the sacred sites erected there. They add that the Batwa have a 'symbiotic relationship with the land' and that they rely on this land and its forest to sustain all aspects of their economic, social, cultural nun 'f.E CV 11v17 14