21 October 2016
Banjul, Islamic Republic of the Gambia
On the opening day of its 59thOrdinary session, DefendDefenders calls on the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) to address human rights violations across the East and Horn of Africa, including in Ethiopia and Burundi.
In a bi-annual report submitted today, DefendDefenders provides the
ACHPR with a six-month update on the severe human rights crises that
have engulfed parts of the sub-region, and governments’ sustained and
targeted attacks on human rights defenders and civil society more
broadly.
"Shutting down the internet, prohibiting protests, attacking and
arresting journalists, and closing down NGOs are now the go-to moves for
governments attempting to quell unrest and suppress dissent, but
clearly the strategy is not working," said Hassan Shire, Executive
Director of DefendDefenders. "Across the sub-region we have seen people
take to the streets and social media to express their grievances, and as
the premier regional human rights body, the ACHPR should play an
integral role in defending their right to do so and ensuring they are
properly addressed.”
In its report, DefendDefenders calls on the ACHPR to urge the Ethiopian
government to allow access to an international, independent and
impartial investigation, and ensure that the current State of Emergency
does not lead to further violations of fundamental, non-derogable human
rights enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Moreover, in light of the Burundian government’s alarming suspension of
cooperation with the UN human rights office, the ACHPR should condemn
and call the AU to take a firm stance on the decision to declare three
UN-mandate experts, including an ACHPR Commissioner,persona non grata;
and call on the Burundian government to fully cooperate with
AU-mandated observers and allow them safe access to information,
witnesses and victims in all parts of the country.
The report, prepared with updates from DefendDefenders’ partners on the
ground, finds that severe political, human rights, and humanitarian
crises inBurundi,Ethiopia,Sudan, andSouth Sudan have
had a dramatic impact on the space for human rights defenders, who have
been targeted repeatedly through arrests and detentions, physical
attacks, torture, disappearances, and killings.
At the same time, tensions triggered by political disputes during electoral periods in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda have continued to rise, resulting in increasing sensitivity to criticism and renewed clampdowns on civil society and the media.
The full report was submitted on 21 October 2016 at the 59th
Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
in Banjul, the Islamic Republic of the Gambia, and can be found here. |
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For further information, please contact:
Hassan Shire
Executive Director, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project
executive@defenddefenders.org or +256 772 753 753
(English and Somali)
Clementine de Montjoye
Advocacy & Research Officer, East & Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project
on advocacy@defenddefenders.org or +256 752 183 305
(English and French) |
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The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project
DefendDefenders
seeks to strengthen the work of human rights defenders throughout the
region by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by
enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights.
DefendDefenders focuses its work on Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia (together with Somaliland), South
Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Visit us at www.defenddefenders.org |
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ACHPR 59: Call for access and investigations in Ethiopia and Burundi
21 October 2016 Banjul, Islamic Republic of the Gambia On the opening day of its 59thOrdinary session, DefendDefenders calls on the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) to address human rights violations across the East and