Amnesty Worldwide stated Tuesday that West and Central African nations should do extra to combat corruption and cease “persecuting” human rights defenders who reveal and denounce it.
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In a report launched for African Anti-Corruption Day, the organisation denounced the “arrest, harassment, detention, hefty fines and even dying” of human rights defenders who combat corruption in 19 West and Central African nations.
Corruption
“These people play a crucial function in preventing corruption and thus defending human rights. But they routinely endure assaults, intimidation, harassment, and persecution for exposing the reality,” stated Agnes Callamard, secretary common of Amnesty Worldwide.
The rights group cited the instance of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo, who it stated had been investigating alleged embezzlement of a whole lot of billions of CFA francs by folks near the federal government.
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Zogo was kidnapped by unidentified males on January 17, and his physique was later discovered mutilated in a “wasteland” exterior the nation’s capital.
In Togo, journalist Ferdinand Ayite was arrested on December 10, 2021, after having accused two members of the federal government of corruption.
He was sentenced on March 15, together with a colleague, to a few years in jail and fined 3 million CFA francs (round $5,000) for “contempt of authorities” and “propagation of falsehoods”, Amnesty stated.
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Ayite and his colleague appealed the choice however in the end needed to flee the nation for his or her security, it added.
Callamard referred to as on governments within the area to “deal with the pervasive tradition of impunity that continues to gasoline endemic corruption… and denies victims entry to justice”.
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Amnesty demanded that states undertake legal guidelines, insurance policies and practices that “robustly defend towards corruption”.
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© Agence France-Presse
