Category: Detention
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The spread of COVID-19 requires urgent and immediate measures to be taken to protect the rights of detainees in Africa
Joint statement adressed to the member states of the African Union and to human rights international organisations in Africa.
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Detained for 10 years for no reason
Makala, which means “coal” in Lingala, is the central prison of Kinshasa. It is also one of Africa’s main penitentiaries: there are around 8,500 inmates in a complex of pavilions and brick and metal shacks, initially designed to accommodate 1,500 people. It is a small town, an ecosystem, where all can be valued, exchanged, and…
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Désiré, free at last after “9 years of death”
With the help of ASF, Désiré Loko has been released after spending exactly 8 years, 5 months and 21 days in preventive detention at Kinshasa’s central prison, even though he was innocent. His case illustrates the problem of preventive detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prisoners sometimes spend years in detention without having a…
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Tunisia: the law against drugs grinds to a standstill
In spite of declarations in the media and the adoption of a new bill by the Council of Ministers, the current anti-drug law is now entering its 25th year. Even though it is largely considered to be unfair, ineffective and obsolete, this law continues to victimise the most vulnerable sectors of the Tunisian population. ASF…
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Voices from Kinshasa (3/3): “Freedom is under the hammer”
In DR Congo, defending the rights of victims of injustice and exercising fundamental rights remains a challenge. Faced with an often failing legal system and, at times, intimidation, men and women are pursuing an ideal: to live in a fairer world. Last of three encounters: lawyer Hervé Mafwila, on illegal detention.
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A two-year struggle against the use of illegal detention in the DR Congo
For the last two years, ASF has been working actively with the Bar Associations of the west of the DR Congo in order to combat the abusive and sometimes even illegal use of preventive detention. In the coming weeks, ASF will come back to three key aspects of this project: the development of the capacity…
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ASF concerned about attacks on the right of defence in Burundi
In the current context of intense repression of political protest In Burundi, the rights of those arrested are being threatened by the practices of certain authorities. The illegal detention of a lawyer by police forces on 2 September highlights the intimidation practised with regard to these protectors of rights. ASF and the Bar Association of…
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Degrading and inhuman treatment is not inevitable
Brussels – On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) recalls that countless people are also victims of inhuman and degrading treatment. These practices often arise from appalling detention conditions in many countries in a post-conflict situation or in transition. ASF is calling for a reduction in the use…
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Burundi: Lawyers mobilise to defend the rights of arrested persons
While the situation remains tense in Burundi, Burundian lawyers are pressing ahead with an active campaign to provide legal assistance. Mr Salvator Kiyuku, president of the bar association at Bujumbura Court of Appeal, explains the background to this operation initiated by the bar association and supported by ASF.
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ASF at UN Congress on Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention
At the 13th United Nations Congress on Criminal Justice, held in Doha (Qatar) until 19 April, ASF will be sharing its experience in post-conflict countries and countries in transition, during 2 side-events. The first one (on 14 April) will address the role of the justice system in democracry-building in Tunisia. The second one (on 16…