Guinea-Bissau
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THE OBSERVATORY for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders L’OBSERVATOIRE EL OBSERVATORIO pour la protection para la Protección des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme de los Defensores de los Derechos Humanos GUINEA-BISSAU A Detrimental Environment to the Work of Human Rights Defenders International fact-finding mission International Federation for Human Rights 17, Passage de la Main d'Or 75011 World Organisation Against Torture Paris, France Case postale 21 - 8, rue du Vieux- Billard 1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland October 2008 - N°508a Source: Massachussets Institute of Technology (http://web.mit.edu/cascon/maps/Guinea-Bissau_sm99.jpg) GUINEA-BISSAU - A Detrimental Environment to the Work of Human Rights Defenders FIDH-OMCT / 3 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................5 I. Historical and Political context....................................................................................................................5 II. Legal and Institutional Framework Relevant to Human Rights Activities..............................................8 a. International Legal Framework.......................................................................................................................8 b. National Legal Framework .............................................................................................................................8 III. Obstacles to the Work of Human Rights Defenders..............................................................................13 a. State perception of human rights defenders ................................................................................................14 b. Lack of redress mechanisms .......................................................................................................................14 c. Lack of resources.........................................................................................................................................14 d. Lack of expertise..........................................................................................................................................14 e. Human rights violations and other challenges faced by defenders .............................................................15 i. Harassment of human rights defenders denouncing abuses of power and involvement of military and other States agents in organised crime ii. Harassment of human rights leading figures iii. Obstacles to freedom of assembly iv. Obstacles to the work of lawyers and legal professions v. Obstacles to the work of trade unions and their members vi. Harassment of human rights defenders working on harmful traditional practices IV. Conclusions and Recommendations......................................................................................................21 ANNEX 1 – Persons met by the Observatory delegation...........................................................................23 GUINEA-BISSAU - A Detrimental Environment to the Work of Human Rights Defenders FIDH-OMCT / 4 LGDH) as well as all the entities and individuals met Introduction during the visit. The objectives of the mission were to assess the situation of human rights defenders in the country, through: The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights - a panorama of the main actors of civil society operating Defenders (here after “the Observatory”), a joint in the country (both defenders of civil and political rights programme of the International Federation for Human and of economic, social and cultural rights2); Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture - the collection of first-hand information and testimonies (OMCT), carried out an international fact-finding mission on the situation of human rights defenders and their to Guinea-Bissau from January 7 to 17, 2008. working environment, the obstacles and risks they face. The mission also focused on the rights to freedom of The Observatory’s delegation was composed of association, freedoms of expression, of peaceful assembly and Mr. Paulo Comoane, member of the Liga Moçambicana the right to a fair trial and to effective legal remedies as enjoyed dos Direitos Humanos, and of Ms. Rita Patrício, human by human rights defenders. rights specialist. The delegation met with senior officials, including the 1. Historical and political President of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Internal context Administration. It further held consultations with the Prosecutor General, the Presidents of the Supreme and Military Courts, police officers and Government representatives in Gabu, Bafatá and Cacheu. In addition, The population of Guinea-Bissau is less than 1,5 million it met with representatives of the United Nations, the and is composed of about twenty ethnic groups. The European Commission, Portugal and Honorary Consuls major ones are the Balantas (30% of the population), the of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Fula (20%), the Mandjaques (15%), the Mandingues (13%) and the Pepels (8%). The delegation further met with various representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade Independence unions, as well as with students, judges, lawyers and journalists. Most human rights defenders in Guinea- Guinea-Bissau was the first Portuguese colony to reach Bissau work within NGOs, and are mostly active in the independence. After five centuries of colonial presence fields of women and children’s rights1, the fight against and a brutal liberation war, the country became formally abuse of power by state agents and impunity. New independent on September 10, 1974. Mr. Luis de initiatives have recently developed, tackling rights of Almeida Cabral then became the country’s first President. detainees and penal reform issues. Trade unions are in general well organised in the defence of labour rights. Four years later, Mr. João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, a The delegation did not have the chance to meet with member of the African Party for the Independence of NGOs working on rural development. Guinea and Cape Verde (Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde - PAIGC) became A complete list of the individuals and entities met can be Prime Minister. found in Annex 1. A period of instability The Observatory would like to thank the very resourceful assistance and cooperation of the Guinean League of In 1980, Mr. Nino Vieira led a military coup against Mr. Human Rights (Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos - Luis de Almeida Cabral. From November 1980 to May 1. Specifically on the abolition of harmful traditional practices such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation; violence against women and trafficking of children. 2. With efficiency as its primary objective, the Observatory has adopted flexible criteria to examine the admissibility of cases that are communicated to it, based on the “operational definition” of human rights defenders adopted by OMCT and FIDH: “Each person victim or at risk of being the victim of reprisals, harassment or violations, due to his compromise exercised individually or in association with others, in conformity with international instruments of protection of human rights, in favour of the promotion and realisation of the rights recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed by several international instruments”. GUINEA-BISSAU - A Detrimental Environment to the Work of Human Rights Defenders FIDH-OMCT / 5 1984, the Constitution was suspended and power was teachers protesting, inter alia, against unpaid salaries held by a provisional Government responsible to a (which resulted in a two months delay of the academic Revolutionary Council headed by Mr. Vieira. In 1984, a year) and military veterans demanding the payment of single-party assembly was created. It approved a new their pensions. constitution and elected President Vieira to a new five- year term. Amid tensions between political and military factions, on January 4, 2007, former Navy Chief Commodore Lamine Guinea-Bissau moved towards a multi-party democracy Sanhá was killed outside his home in Bissau, by men in the early 1990s. In 1991, a multi-party system was dressed in civilian clothing. Protests against the killing instituted, and the first general elections took place in ensued, which were repressed by the police. As a result 1994. Mr. Nino Vieira won the elections against Mr. of this repression, one person was killed, several others Kumba Yalá, from the Social Renewal Party (Partido para injured. a Renovação Social - PRS), and was elected for four years. He was re-elected in 1998. Particularly distressed by this situation, on January 8, 2007, the Secretary-General of the United Nations urged On June 6, 1998, Mr. Nino Vieira dismissed military Chief the Government and political leaders to “exercise utmost of Staff Mr. Ansumane Mané who, in reaction, led a restraint, and to focus on development and military insurrection against Mr. Nino Vieira, with the help reconciliation”, and encouraged all national stakeholders of the Navy Chief Commodore Lamine Sanhá. This “to avoid allowing impunity to prevail”4. plunged the country into a bloody civil war between forces loyal to Mr. Vieira and forces loyal to Mr. Mané, and The 2007 national political stability pact triggered political instability until presidential elections were held in July 2005. On March 12, 2007, the three main political parties - the PAIGC,