38th FIDH Congress
23-27 May 2013
Istanbul (Turkey)
Presented by the Ligue Centrafricaine des Droits de l’Homme
FIDH, meeting on the occasion of its XXXVIII Congress in Istanbul, Turkey,
Concerned about the political, security and humanitarian situation in Central African Republic ;
Condemning the coup d’Etat committed on 24 March 2013 by the rebels of Seleka, overthrowing the President of the Republic, General François Bozize, who came himself to power by force on 15 March 2003 ;
Condemning the serious human rights violations perpetrated by the elements of Seleka during their offensive against the civilian population, in particular summary executions, rapes and other forms of sexual violence, acts of torture, looting and other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law ; and condemning the numerous arbitrary arrests and detentions carried out by Central African security forces against those suspected of providing support to the rebellion ; Recalling that this violence has led to the internal displacement of nearly 173 000 persons and forced nearly 50 000 others to seek refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon or in Chad ;
Considering the establishment of a National Transition Council mainly composed of Seleka representatives and the election, by this Council, of Michel Djotodia, as President of the Republic, in charge conducting the transition ;
Recalling that the security situation remains unstable throughout the country, marked in particular by the pursuit of acts of looting and extrajudicial executions ; and denouncing the current inertia of the authorities of the transition in coping with these violations;
Considering the deployment of the Multinational Force of Central Africa (FOMAC), mandated by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in the framework of a disarmament operation of militiamen, training of Central African military forces and securing of the electoral process;
Considering impunity is the common denominator and trigger of cycles of violence affecting the Central African Republic; and recalling that Central African Republic is a State Party to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court ;
FIDH, meeting on the occasion of its XXXVIII Congress in Istanbul, Turkey:
– Calls on the re-establishement, without further delay, of constitutional legality through the organisation of free, pluralistic, transparent and secured elections ;
– Calls on the authorities of the transition to take all necessary measures to ensure the immediate end of any acts of violence against the civilian population throughout the national territory, in compliance with provisions of international humanitarian and human rights law ;
– Calls on the authorities of the transition to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms, in particular freedoms of expression, opinion and peaceful demonstration ;
– Calls on the setting up, without further delay, of an international commission of inquiry, mandated by the United Nations Secretary General to shed light on the serious human rights violations perpetrated during the offensive of Seleka, to identify the responsibilities and bring the perpetrators to justice ;
– Calls on the authorities of the transition to take all necessary measures to ensure the fight against the impunity of those responsible for the most serious crimes ;
– Calls on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to open an investigation on the crimes committed during and since the rebel offensive ;
– Calls on the ECCAS to guarantee the training in international human rights and humanitarian law of the forces deployed in the framework of the Multinational Force of Central Africa (FOMAC) and to consider the deployment of human rights observers mandated to document the violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.