Ethiopian Review

Governments in Africa continued to restrict without justification the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International said Thursday in its 2009 report. However, it said, efforts by governments to control information were also countered by increasingly vibrant civil societies (CSOs), often working in partnership with each other and stronger independent media.

Amnesty’s report points out that in Ethiopia legislation or other forms of regulation were frequently used to restrict the work of civil society and the media.

The authorities prepared a draft bill that criminalizes human rights activities and gives authorities an excessive level of control over civil society organizations, the report said.

Political opponents of the governments were arbitrarily arrested and detained in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mauritania, Republic of Congo, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, according to the report.

In Africa, the report says, food shortages in 2008 had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, the organization said. In Asia, the number of people living in poverty increased by “millions” as the cost of food, fuel and other commodities increased dramatically, said Amnesty International, based in London.

In some cases members of the political opposition were subjected to enforced disappearance or unlawfully killed. In other countries the space for political opposition, free speech and civil society was non-existent, such as in Eritrea.

Human rights defenders remained at risk in various countries and were often harassed and sometimes arrested for defending their rights as well as the rights of others. Journalists and human rights activists regularly had to flee their country because of security risks.

In many African countries the judicial system lacked independence. In addition, the justice system is often under-resourced, poorly equipped and understaffed, leading to excessive delays in hearing criminal cases.

For those with little access to financial resources, negotiating the criminal justice system can prove a nightmare.

Governments continued to restrict, without justification, the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. However, efforts by governments to control information were also countered by increasingly vibrant civil societies, often working in partnership with each other, and stronger independent media.
The world’s social, economic and political crises will balloon if human rights concerns aren’t addressed, the report said.

“Billions of people are suffering from insecurity, injustice and indignity around the world,” the human rights organization said Thursday in a release. “[While] many aspects of this crisis pre-date the economic ‘downturn,’ it is clear that the global financial situation is making the human rights crisis far worse,” it added.

(Reporter)