Amnesty International Report 2017/18



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Amnesty International Report 2017/18

17

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.



18

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 Gambia rescinded its decision to withdraw 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 



Amnesty International Report 2017/18

19

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.



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