Amnesty International denounced Thursday in a new report the freedom of some warlords who are responsible for “terrifying violations and human rights abuses” in the Central African Republic.
According to the human rights NGO, many people “thirst for trials” in this Central African country. Indeed, several armed groups and individuals are accused of crimes under international law, including killings and sexual violence committed during decades of conflict in CAR. Despite some investigations and trials in recent years, Amnesty noted that they have still not been brought to justice two years after the inauguration of the country’s Special Criminal Court (SPC).
Thus, in the report, Amnesty International showed that the work of the SPC has been hampered by shortcomings in the operationalization of the court and a lack of transparency, and that CAR’s justice system lacks the capacity to deal with the scale of these violations. It also draws attention to the efforts that still need to be made to ensure fair trials before the ordinary courts and the SPC.
“Civilians have been the main victims of the waves of violence and armed conflict that have occurred in CAR since 2002. Thousands have been killed, raped, and more than half a million people are still displaced,” said Samira Daoud, director for West and Central Africa at Amnesty International, stressing that “impunity is an affront to the victims and a blank cheque for criminals.
“The inauguration of the SPC was a beacon of hope for victims, but progress is slow. Ten cases are being investigated, and the SPC has refused to disclose the identity of the 21 people arrested as a result of its investigations, without explaining the reasons for this refusal,” she added.
The SPC is a UN-backed hybrid court whose mission is to investigate and prosecute, over a renewable five-year period, crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations committed in CAR since January 2003. It was established by law in June 2015 and inaugurated on October 22, 2018. Its mandate is complementary to that of the ICC and the CAR’s ordinary courts.
According to Ms. Daoud, CAR’s judicial system is “severely under-resourced” as armed groups, including ex-Seléka and anti-Balaka, continue to regularly attack civilians. “It is clear that additional measures are needed to end the cycle of impunity that continues to cause so much suffering,” she said.
ODL/cgd/lb/abj/APA