 The case helped encourage the foundation of the Congo Reform Association – by Roger Casement – which on its turn put pressure on the Belgian government, which helped lead to the annexation of the Congo Free State by the Belgian state in 1908.For many years prior to the Casement Report there were reports from the Congo alleging widespread abuses and exploitation of the native population.In 1895, the situation was reported to Dr Henry Grattan Guinness (1861–1915), a missionary doctor.