Amnesty: Many African states not cooperating with human rights efforts News
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Amnesty: Many African states not cooperating with human rights efforts

Amnesty International released their inaugural report on the performance of three regional human rights institutions in Africa on Monday, finding low compliance with the final decisions of the regional mechanisms. Although many states have consistently promised to comply, the report found that overall the states have failed to follow through.

For example, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights, which is a judicial mechanism, issued 28 judgments from its inception in 2006 to June 2018 that found the state parties at fault. These judgments included remedial orders, but only Burkina Faso fully complied by the end of the reporting period. While Tanzania partially complied, four states, including Rwanda, Libya, Kenya and the Ivory Coast did not comply at all with the orders. The report specifically identified the relationship and engagement with stakeholders to be at issue:

A major finding in this section is that contrary to their colourful pronouncements in AU declarations, state parties accorded little cooperation to the regional bodies during the reporting period. This lack of cooperation is evident in all the major functions of the regional mechanisms, including examination of state reports, adjudication of communications or cases, intervening in urgent situations, and undertaking country visits.

Amnesty stated in their report that the annual review would highlight the state and performance of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in order to create a “regular, comprehensive, and predictable” audit of the institutions that “keep a constant tab and shine a steady light on the African system’s work, impact, achievements and challenges.”

These institutions have mechanisms for intervention during urgent matters “or situations presenting an imminent danger of irreparable harm to the individuals concerned,” and the report found that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights issued more than 80 urgent appeals during the reporting period. Furthermore, more than 70 percent of the appeals were related to Human Rights Defenders, “pointing to the prevalence of attacks, harassment, and unlawful arrest and detention of [Human Rights Defenders] in the continent.”

The report also raised issue with the “meager” resources with which the agencies have had to perform. According to the report, the agencies have had limited staff members and have had to operate in “premises that are inadequate and generally not fit for purpose.”

Amnesty concluded their report with recommendations both for the agencies and the African Union Member States, and they have stated that they intend to continue their annual publication of the report to monitor progress.