“States in West and Central Africa must stop persecuting human rights defenders who speak out against corruption, bribery and abuse of power, and take concrete and effective measures to protect and support them. So begins a statement from Amnesty International to introduce a groundbreaking report titled “The Fight Against Corruption at Risk.” The Crackdown on Anti-Corruption Defenders in West and Central Africa” and published this July 11 on Africa Anti-Corruption Day. Twenty years ago, 48 African countries adopted the African Union Convention against Corruption in Maputo, Mozambique. On this anniversary day, the results are far from brilliant.
For Amnesty International, the scourge of corruption is not measured solely by the indicator of perception, it is expressed in the daily lives of populations. “Corruption (…) in Africa has a real and particularly harmful impact on the issue of human rights,” explained Samira Daouda, director of the West and Central Africa office. Corruption deprives individuals of the possibility of enjoying civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It also impacts on the right to development or the right to a healthy environment. Corruption is also a factor which limits or even deprives individuals of their right to benefit from a fair trial, of their right not to be subjected to acts of torture, and it is also a phenomenon which leads to discriminatory situations when it comes to being able to benefit from access to basic social services”.
The human rights organization cited the fate of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo as an example. He was abducted by unidentified men on January 17 and found dead five days later, his body mutilated, as he investigated and published information on the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of billions of CFA francs from politicians and government officials. business people close to the government, underlines Amnesty.
In Togo, journalist Ferdinand Ayité was arrested on December 10, 2021 after accusing two members of the government of corruption. He was sentenced on March 15, 2023, along with a colleague, to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 3 million CFA francs (4,500 euros) for “contempt of representatives of public authority” and “dissemination of false information”. Both appealed against this decision but had to flee the country for their safety, according to the organization.
In Niger, whistleblower Ibrahim Banna says he has been arrested 19 times and prosecuted 4 times since 2016, usually for disturbing public order following Facebook posts about corruption. Nigerien journalist and blogger Samira Sabu was also sentenced to one month in prison and fined $100 for defamation by electronic communication for relaying an article published in 2021 by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime which claimed that drugs seized by Nigerien authorities had been bought up by traffickers and put back on the market.
Ms. Callamard called on governments in the region to “address the pervasive culture of impunity” which she said continues to fuel endemic corruption and deprive victims of access to justice and remedy.
Amnesty International calls on these states to adopt laws, policies, and implement practices to “strongly protect themselves” against corruption.
Currently, despite the fact that 48 of the 55 member countries of the African Union have ratified the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, only Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger have adopted laws on the protection of human rights defenders and only Ghana has legislation specifically aimed at protecting whistleblowers.
Ten countries in the region have adopted access to information laws that allow citizens to obtain information held by public bodies and to hold accountable those who hold power. Nevertheless, the fees to be paid to obtain this information and the received idea according to which these laws are intended only for journalists remain an obstacle to their application.
