Agenda Item 3 – Human rights situation in Africa (with a special focus on shrinking of civic space)
Delivered by Paul Mulindwa, Africa Advocacy Lead at CIVICUS
The global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, welcomes this opportunity to address the African Commission under Agenda Item 3: Human Rights Situation in Africa.
During the 77th and 78th Ordinary Sessions of the Commission, CIVICUS expressed concerns about the attacks on civic space, particularly the freedom of expression, assembly, and association in several African States.
We wish to convey to the Commission our continuing concern and alarm at the incessant shrinking of civic spaces in many African countries, where various unconstitutional and illegal methods are employed to limit and restrict the rights to freedom of assembly, association, expression, and access to information, as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
A growing trend is the use of banning and closing media outlets and journalists, through arrests, detention, and court charges, to unduly limit freedom of expression and access to information. In Nigeria, on May 21, journalist Jamil Mabai was arrested and detained for seeking an interview with government authorities, while investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu was detained on May 1 in Lagos for a week without any charges. In Angola, on May 17, 2024, journalist William Tonet’s home was invaded by gunmen as a defamation case continues against him. In the DRC, on May 3, 2024, three armed soldiers in DRC military uniforms invaded journalist Parfait Katoto’s home in Ituri province and threatened his family due to his criticism of insecurity in the province.
In Uganda, on May 14, 2024, journalist Juliet Kyarisiima was severely beaten by security officers and robbed while covering a land dispute, while Guinean journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was banned from practicing journalism for six months on May 8, 2023, after publishing an investigation into corruption. In Madagascar, the Cybercriminality Code and the Communication Code have forced journalists to self-censor due to fear of reprisals.
In Burundi, journalist Floriane Irangabiye is serving a ten-year prison sentence for critical comments she made about the Burundian government during an online radio show. In Mozambique, where journalists routinely face intimidation, harassment, death threats, violence, and even killings, newspaper editor Joao Fernando Chamusse was killed at his house in Maputo in December 2023.
On March 1, Equatoguinean human rights defender Anacleto Micha Ndong was detained in the Malabo prison of Black Beach maximum prison, accused of highlighting human rights violations by security officers. Following over 27 murders of HRDs between 2019-23, death threats for land and environmental defenders - Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) activists – have continued without any successful investigations.
These incidents are only illustrative of a general trend in many African countries and threaten civic space, particularly press freedom and independent media, as a foundation of democratic and accountable governance.
Honorable Chairperson, we therefore urge the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to:
- Respond to cases of shrinking civic space in Africa, wherever and whenever they happen.
- Call on African States to respect and protect the rights to expression, access to information, assembly, and association for everyone under their jurisdictions.
- Continue to popularize the Commission’s Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Assembly in Africa, the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, and the Commission’s Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa.
- Call on the African States to create an enabling environment for civil society organisations to operate by removing restrictions and threats on the right to freedom of expression to ensure civil society, activists, and citizens can express themselves without fear of reprisals.
