Rights record poor, says US

The Djibouti government's human rights record last year was poor and "serious problems remained", according to the US State Department's annual report. The report, covering 2002, said the ruling People's Rally for Progress had continued to dominate the political system and suppress organised opposition. Other human rights violations included the arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life by the government or its agents. The report pointed out that country's judiciary was not independent and did not provide citizens with due process. The government had infringed on privacy rights, limited freedom of assembly and restricted freedom of association, it added. The government had also remained "antagonistic" to the formation of human rights groups. Violence against women had persisted, "and, although the government prohibited such practices, the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) continued to be widespread". However, the report said that unlike previous years, in 2002 there were no reports of torture of detainees, nor of politically motivated disappearances.