The adoption of a law to protect human rights defenders is what human rights defenders in Senegal want. They made this known yesterday, Thursday, December 26, on the occasion of the launch of the Report on the situation of human rights defenders in Senegal.
The Senegalese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (COSEDDH) wants the adoption of a law that protects them. Its members made the plea yesterday, Thursday, December 26, on the occasion of the launch of the Report on the situation of human rights defenders in Senegal entitled “Human rights defenders in a precarious state: the need for a protection law “.
In view of the findings and remarks of the practice of the public space, which make the situation of human rights defenders precarious, it is urgent and imperative to adopt a law for the protection of human rights defenders in order to protect their environment and work tools. According to Amnesty International, “the interest of such a law lies, among other things, in the definition of the concept and the clear identification of the actors who will benefit from this protection”.
Indeed, the report on the situation of human rights defenders in Senegal reveals a precarious situation for these people. “Examination of the working environment of human rights defenders in Senegal highlights the precariousness of their situation. Generally considered as vehicles for contesting established power, human rights defenders are subject to constraints both as ordinary citizens and as activists for a specific cause. It is added that in the name of security imperatives, repressive legislation and practices are promoted,” we read in the document.
Human rights defenders in Senegal recalled “that in recent years, in the Africa region, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have adopted a law for the protection of human rights defenders, thus recognizing their important role in the promotion and protection of human rights and the observation of the rules of good economic and financial governance. The Executive Director of Amnesty International Senegal Seydi Gassama recalled that a preliminary draft law for the protection of human rights defenders, developed by the Senegalese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, was presented to the Minister of Justice, Minister of Justice. Justice, in May 2024 in Senegal.
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