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FIDH suspends implementation of human rights programme

    ABIDJAN

    The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has suspended the implementation of a human rights programme in Guinea-Bissau, FIDH Secretary-General Antoine Bernard told IRIN on Wednesday. The move follows the detention of the vice president of the country's human rights league and the issuing of a warrant for the arrest of its former president in connection with an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds donated in 1999 to the LDGH.

    Joao Vaz Manela, vice president of the Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos (LGDH), was arrested on Saturday, a human rights source in Bissau told IRIN. The warrant for the arrest of former LDGH president Fernando Gomes was issued on Monday, according to the Portuguese news agency, Lusa. Gomes, who returned to Bissau on Tuesday from Senegal, has denied any wrongdoing, Lusa reported.

    Bernard said the federation decided to suspend the programme, established with the support of the European Community (EC) and the French Cooperation Ministry, because "local political conditions do not allow for appropriate cooperation with local non-governmental organisations". The decision was announced at the end of a six-day mission by an FIDH team, which had travelled to Bissau to prepare the implementation of programme activities. The mission left Bissau on Tuesday, one day after it tried unsuccessfully during a three-hour discussion with President Kumba Yala, to persuade him to end the proceedings against the human rights activists, Bernard said. He said it was impossible to develop mechanisms for cooperating with local rights groups while their activists were the targets of repression.

    "We are launching a very strong appeal to the president and authorities of Guinea-Bissau to end the proceedings against human rights activists which seem to run counter to the international obligations of Guinea-Bissau," Bernard said. He said the organisation had contacted the UN special representative for human rights defenders with a view to finding a rapid and unconditional solution to the issue.

    The programme, funded through the EC Humanitarian Office, ECHO, covers Guinea-Bissau and other African countries. Its aims include supporting local human rights NGOs, supporting education and awareness-raising in the field of human rights, promoting and strengthening the rule of law by reaffirming and enhancing the independence of the judiciary, and promoting the respect of human rights and democratisation processes.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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