UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official website] called [press release] Wednesday for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to deal with those protesting the general election time change in accordance with international human rights laws and standards.

The protests are in response to a publication of the electoral calendar that stated the general elections would again be pushed back to December 2018. The original date for the presidential election was set to take place in November 2016, but it was postponed [JURIST report] until September 2016 after officials stated that it needed more time to prepare supplies and voter registration lists. Shortly after the announcement earlier this month, civil society organizations called for nationwide protests to be held today.

Zied called not only on political leaders to respect the rights to peacefully assemble and the freedom of expression, but he also called on all sides “to exercise restraint and to renounce the use of violence.” He further stated:

I appeal to the authorities to ensure that the use of excessive force that has marred previous protests—including in September and December 2016 in Kinshasa—is not repeated, and that security personnel must receive clear instructions that they will be held accountable for their conduct during law and order operations in the context of demonstrations, regardless of their ranks or affiliation.

He went on to say that he hopes the government works to “defuse tensions instead of creating the conditions for suppression, confrontation and violence.”

Violent protests have plagued the nation for years, especially since the election was postponed in September 2016, which led to 54 deaths in that month alone. The top prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) released a statement [JURIST report] in April alleging that recent acts of violence in the DRC could amount to war crimes.