Report on Human Rights Practices for 2011 Country of Senegal PDF Download

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481215381
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Senegal is a moderately decentralized republic dominated by a strong executive branch. In 2007 Abdoulaye Wade was reelected president for a five-year term in an election generally viewed as free and fair, despite sporadic incidents of violence and intimidation. Also in 2007 the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) won the majority of seats in National Assembly elections that were boycotted by the leading opposition parties. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. The most significant human rights problems included reports of physical abuse and torture; limits on freedoms of speech, press, and assembly; and corruption. Other major human rights problems included the following: inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees and prisoners, including overcrowded prisons; questionable investigative detention and long pretrial detention; lack of an independent judiciary; rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment of and discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); child abuse; child marriage; infanticide; trafficking in persons; and child labor.

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481212922
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Guinea-Bissau is a multiparty republic. In July 2009 Malam Bacai Sanha of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was elected president in elections following the assassination of Joao Bernardo Vieira by the military. International observers declared the election to be generally free and fair despite election-related violence preceding the polls. As in the previous year, there were multiple instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. On December 26, fighting between rival factions of the military resulted in two deaths. Serious human rights abuses included beating and torture by security forces, poor conditions of detention, and violence--including female genital mutilation (FGM)--and discrimination against women. Other human rights abuses included arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of judicial independence and due process; interference with privacy; intimidation of journalists; widespread official corruption, exacerbated by government officials' impunity and suspected involvement in drug trafficking; trafficking of children; and child labor, including some forced labor.

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481215633
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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South Africa is a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and the parliament. In 2009 the country held a largely free and fair election in which the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won 65.9 percent of the vote and 264 of 400 seats in the National Assembly, which then elected ANC President Jacob Zuma as the country's president. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. Principal human rights problems included police use of lethal and excessive force, including torture, against suspects and detainees, which resulted in deaths and injuries; vigilante and mob violence; and prison overcrowding and abuse of prisoners, including beatings and rape by prison guards. Other human rights problems included arbitrary arrest; lengthy delays in trials and prolonged pretrial detention; forcible dispersal of demonstrations; pervasive violence against women and children; societal discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community; trafficking in persons; violence resulting from racial and ethnic tensions and conflicts with foreigners; and child labor, including forced child labor and child prostitution. The government investigated and prosecuted officials who committed abuses, but there were numerous reports of impunity.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Civil rights
Languages : en
Pages : 738

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Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481212601
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Equatorial Guinea is nominally a multiparty constitutional republic. Since a military coup in 1979, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dominated all branches of government in collaboration with his clan and his political party, the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE). In 2009 voters reelected President Obiang with a claimed 95.37 percent of votes cast. The lopsided results and weak independent monitoring of the electoral process raised suspicions of systematic vote fraud. Foreign diplomatic observers noted numerous irregularities and the presence of military personnel at all voting stations. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. Major human rights abuses reported during the year included a disregard for the rule of law and due process, denial of basic political rights including freedom of speech and press, and widespread official corruption.

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481215572
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Somalia is fragmented into regions led in whole or in part by different entities, including: the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu, the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in the Northwest, Puntland in the Northeast, and Galmuduug in the central region. The TFG was formed in 2004 with a five-year mandate to establish permanent, representative governmental institutions and organize national elections. In 2009 a 550-member Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP), established under the internationally backed Djibouti Peace Process, extended the TFG's mandate until August 2011 and elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as TFG president. On February 3, the TFP unilaterally extended its mandate by a further three years. On June 9, following a six-month stalemate between the TFP and the TFG (collectively referred to as the Transitional Federal Institutions, or TFIs) over ending the transitional period, both the president and the parliamentary speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, signed the Kampala Accord. That accord extended the transition period to August 20, 2012, and stated that elections for president and parliamentary speaker should take place prior to that date. On September 6, the TFIs as well as regional and political stakeholders endorsed a Roadmap for Ending the Transition that includes the key essential tasks to be completed before August 2012. On December 13, members of the TFP passed a vote of no confidence against parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan. The TFG, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and Speaker Sharif Hassan himself all deemed the no-confidence vote to be a violation of the Kampala Accord and questioned whether the vote followed proper parliamentary procedure. At year's end Sharif Hassan remained in the speakership position. Conflict-related abuses, including killings, displacement, and restriction of humanitarian assistance continued to severely impact civilians. According to the UN, there were 1.36 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country and 955,000 persons had taken refuge in other countries, primarily due to conflict, famine, and drought. Approximately 300,000 Somali refugees arrived in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen during the year. The rule of law was largely nonexistent. Al-Shabaab controlled most of the south and central regions, where it committed human rights abuses including killings, torture, restriction of humanitarian assistance, and extortion. On August 6, al-Shabaab withdrew from most areas of Mogadishu, but in the following months it continued attacks in the city.

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481213059
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy. Under the constitution the king is head of state but does not actively participate in political activities. The prime minister is head of government and has executive authority. In the most recent elections in 2007, the governing Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party retained a majority of seats in parliament; domestic and international observers characterized the election as generally free and peaceful. However, some members of the leading opposition parties and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) claimed it was not entirely fair. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. Torture and physical abuse by police, poor prison conditions, and abuse of spouses and children were the most important human rights problems in the country. Other human rights problems included lengthy pretrial detention and long trial delays and stigmatization of persons with HIV/AIDS. Societal abuses included sexual abuse, stigmatization of persons with disabilities, mob violence, human trafficking, and child labor.

Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481214742
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Mali is a constitutional democracy. International and domestic observers characterized the 2007 presidential election, which resulted in the reelection of President Amadou Toumani Toure, and the 2007 legislative elections, as generally free and fair; however, there were some administrative irregularities. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. The most important human rights problems are related to gender inequality, failures of the justice system, and exploitative labor relationships. Women face domestic violence to which the legal system frequently turns a blind eye, a culture that widely condones female genital mutilation (FGM), and a legal system that gives preference to men in cases of divorce or inheritance. An ineffective and corrupt legal system has meant detainees face lengthy pretrial detention unless they are willing and able to pay bribes to obtain their release. Human trafficking and exploitative labor relationships are not uncommon in the country, especially in regards to child labor. Other human rights problems included arbitrary and/or unlawful deprivation of life, police abuse of civilians, poor prison conditions, lack of enforcement of court orders, official corruption and impunity, societal discrimination against black Tamasheqs, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS.

Author:
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 732

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Author: U. S. Department of State
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481211901
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Cameroon is a republic dominated by a strong presidency. The country has a multiparty system of government, but the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) has remained in power since it was created in 1985. It has unfettered control of all government branches. The president retains the power to control legislation and rule by decree. On October 9, CPDM leader Paul Biya won reelection as president, a position he has held since 1982. The election was flawed by irregularities, including the failure to properly distribute all voter cards, late opening of polling stations, multiple voting, ballot-box stuffing, the absence of indelible ink, and intimidation of voters. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. The most important human rights problems in the country were security force abuses--particularly of detainees and prisoners; denial of fair and speedy public trial; and restrictions on freedom of assembly. Other major human rights abuses included arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged and sometimes incommunicado pretrial detention, life-threatening prison conditions, and infringement on privacy rights. The government harassed and imprisoned journalists, restricted freedoms of speech, press, and association, and impeded freedom of movement. Corruption was pervasive at all levels of government. Societal violence and discrimination against women and girls, including female genital mutilation (FGM), was a problem. Trafficking in persons, particularly children, and discrimination against pygmies, gays, and lesbians occurred. There was occasional discrimination against persons with albinism, although such incidents continued to decrease. The government restricted worker rights and the activities of independent labor organizations. Hereditary servitude, forced labor, including by children, and child labor were problems. Although the government took some steps to punish and prosecute officials who committed abuses in the security forces and in the public service, impunity remained a problem.