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social and economic cost savings for societies, as well as the need to recognize that nobody
should be left behind even in the most straitened of times. Governments should seriously
consider these ideas as possible ways to meet their human rights obligations.
As austerity continues to bite worldwide, individuals and communities are fighting back and
defending human rights. Their voices and the alternative vision they articulate need to be
heard.
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Amnesty International Report 2017/18
AFRICA REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Africa’s human rights landscape was shaped by violent crackdowns against peaceful
protesters and concerted attacks on political opponents, human rights defenders and civil
society organizations. Meanwhile, relentless violence against civilians in long-standing
conflicts was compounded by the stagnation of political efforts to resolve these crises. The
cycle of impunity for human rights violations and abuses committed in conflicts – including
crimes under international law – continued.
Intolerance of peaceful dissent and an entrenched disregard for the right to freedom of
peaceful assembly were increasingly the norm. From Lomé to Freetown, Khartoum to Kampala
and Kinshasa to Luanda, there were mass arrests of peaceful protesters, as well as beatings,
excessive use of force and, in some cases, killings.
Political deadlock and failures by regional and international bodies to address long-standing
conflicts and their underlying causes were also in danger of becoming normalized, and leading
to more violations, with impunity.
These trends occurred within a context of slow and intermittent success in reducing poverty,
and limited progress in human development. According to the Africa Sustainable Development
Report, the rate of decline in extreme poverty was slow; women and young people bore the
brunt of poverty.
However, there were signs of hope and progress that rarely made global headlines: the
courage of ordinary people and human rights defenders who stood up for justice, equality and
dignity in the face of repression.
Significant reforms emerged in a few countries. Gambia rescinded its decision to withdraw
from the International Criminal Court (ICC), freed political prisoners and promised to abolish
the death penalty. Burkina Faso’s draft Constitution included provisions to strengthen human
rights protection.
Notable too were landmark judicial decisions on human rights. Kenya’s High Court decision
to block the government’s planned closure of Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp,
prevented the forcible return of more than a quarter of a million refugees to Somalia, where
they were at risk of serious abuses. In Nigeria, two judgments declared threats of forced
evictions without the service of statutory notices to be illegal, and found that forced evictions
and the threat of such evictions amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Angola’s Constitutional Court declared legislation designed to stifle the work of civil society
organizations to be unconstitutional.
REPRESSION OF DISSENT
CRACKDOWN ON PROTEST
In over 20 countries, people were denied their right to peaceful protest, including through
unlawful bans, use of excessive force, harassment and arbitrary arrests. The right to freedom
of assembly was the exception rather than the rule.
In Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan, Togo and
elsewhere, legal, administrative and other measures were used to impose unlawful restrictions
and bans on peaceful protests.
In Angola, authorities frequently prevented peaceful demonstrations, even though no prior
authorization was required in law. In Chad, at least six peaceful assemblies were banned, and
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many organizers and participants were arrested. In DRC, peaceful protests, particularly those
related to the political crisis sparked by delayed elections, were banned and repressed. Civil
society organizations, political opposition and Darfuri students in Sudan were prevented from
holding events.
Use of excessive force and other abuses to disperse peaceful protests resulted in deaths,
injuries and unlawful arrests in many countries. In Angola, the few demonstrations that
proceeded were met with arbitrary arrests, detention and ill-treatment by police and security
forces. Cameroon’s security forces violently repressed demonstrations in Anglophone regions.
Kenyan police used excessive force against opposition protesters following the general election
– including with live ammunition and tear gas, leaving dozens dead, at least 33 of whom were
shot by police, including two children.
In Togo, at least 10 people, including three children and two members of the armed forces,
were killed during a crackdown by security forces, who frequently beat and fired tear gas and
live ammunition at protesters. Sierra Leone’s security forces opened fire on students
demonstrating against a lecturers’ strike in the city of Bo, killing one and injuring others.
Uganda’s government used raids, arrests, intimidation and harassment to stop peaceful
gatherings and silence opposition to an amendment to remove the presidential age limit from
the Constitution.
ATTACKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, JOURNALISTS AND
OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
Widespread repression of dissent also manifested itself through attacks on human rights
defenders, civil society organizations, journalists and bloggers.
In Cameroon, civil society activists, journalists, trade unionists and teachers were arbitrarily
arrested, and some faced military court trials. The government banned the activities of political
parties and civil society organizations. Many remained in detention on spurious charges
relating to national security.
Chad’s authorities arrested and prosecuted human rights defenders, activists and journalists
to silence criticism of the government, including in response to rising anger at the economic
crisis.
In Equatorial Guinea, police detained activists, highlighting the authorities’
willingness to
abuse laws to intimidate and silence dissent.
In Eritrea, thousands of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners were detained without
charge or access to lawyers or family members, many having been held for over 10 years.
In Ethiopia, arbitrary detentions continued under the state of emergency declaration, until it
was lifted in June. The government ordered the release of 10,000 of the 26,000 detained in
2016 under the declaration. Meanwhile, hundreds were detained under the draconian Anti-
Terrorism Proclamation, often used to target government critics.
In Mauritania, Mohamed Mkhaïtir, a blogger accused of apostasy, had his death sentence
commuted but remained in detention even after he had served his sentence. Meanwhile two
anti-slavery activists remained in jail.
The authorities in Madagascar intimidated and harassed journalists and human rights
defenders in an attempt to silence them. Those daring to speak out against illegal trafficking
and exploitation of natural resources were increasingly targeted through the use of criminal
charges.
Sudan’s government persisted in stifling dissent, with opposition political party members,
trade union activists, human rights defenders and students increasingly targeted by the
security forces; they faced arbitrary arrests and detention on trumped-up charges, and routine
torture and other ill-treatment.