APA – N’Djamena (Chad) – The four ordinances issued by the transitional government on August 1 are being challenged in court by a group of opposition parties, report said on Friday.
On October 19, the GCAP, an opposition group made up of 13 political parties, petitioned the Supreme Court to annul these decrees on the grounds that they “violate public freedoms.”
The ordinances in question relate to public meetings, demonstrations on public roads, assemblies and the state of emergency. According to these texts, in order to organise a demonstration on a public road, a public assembly or a public meeting, the organiser must provide full information about himself, his organisation and the nature of his activity. The penalties provided for range from fifteen days to two years’ imprisonment for organising and participating in a prohibited demonstration or assembly.
For GCAP lawyers Naringué Dombati and Vetada Vounsia, the legality of these laws is problematic. They argue that they were issued during the parliamentary recess. “The Supreme Court must rule on the legality of these decrees, which seriously infringe freedom of expression and association and, more generally, the freedoms enshrined in the various conventions ratified by Chad,” Me Dombati said.
“These ordinances are against the law. We believe that these elements are not at all in our favour, and so we have grounds to take the matter to the Supreme Court,” Me Vounsia added.
As soon as the regulations were promulgated on August 1, 2023, political parties and civil society groups spoke out against them, calling for their “total withdrawal.”
CA/te/lb/abj/APA