Reprisals against human rights defender Kadar Abdi Ibrahim upon his return from an advocacy mission in Geneva

Kampala-Johannesburg-Paris-Geneva, 18 April 2018 - DefendDefenders, CIVICUS and the Observatorycondemn acts of reprisals against human rights defender Mr. Kadar Abdi Ibrahim aheadof Djiboutian Government’s oral exam before the UN Human Rights Council.

On15 April 2018, just two days after coming back from Geneva, where he carriedout advocacy activities ahead of Djibouti’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which will take placeon 10 May before the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Kadar Abdi Ibrahim, human rights defender and Movement for Democracy and Freedom(MoDEL) Secretary-General, was briefly detained andgot his passport confiscated by agents of Djibouti’s Information and SecurityService (SDS), who raided his home. SDS agents provided no reason for hisarrest and the confiscation of his passport. As a result, Mr. Abdi Ibrahim isde facto unable to leave the country.

“That Djibouti attempts to silence the fewvoices who denounce human rights violations committed in the country shows howintolerant to criticism Ismaïl Omar Guelleh’s power is,” our organizations say. “The review that is due to take place on 10May 2018 must shed light on the serious situation that prevails in the countryand demand reforms that guarantee the protection and promotion of human rights.”

Mr.Abdi Ibrahim traveled to Geneva (Switzerland) from 9-12 April 2018 to carry outadvocacy activities, including through presenting recommendations from a jointDefend­Defenders/CIVICUS/FIDH report and taking part in a “pre-session”organized by the NGO UPR Info on 10 April. During his stay, he also met withrepresentatives of a dozen States and of the Office of the UN High Commissionerfor Human Rights (OHCHR).

DefendDefenders,CIVICUS and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (anFIDH-OMCT partnership) call on the Djiboutian authorities to put an end to allforms of harassment and reprisals against Mr. Kadar Abdi Ibrahim and all humanrights defenders in Djibouti, and to give him back his passport.

Moregenerally, our organisations urge the Djiboutian authorities to abide by theprovisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UNGeneral Assembly on 9 December 1998, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,and regional and international human rights instruments to which Djibouti is aparty.

Contactpersons:

-For DefendDefenders : Nicolas Agostini, Representative to the UnitedNations, +41 79 813 49 91 / geneva@defenddefenders.org

-For CIVICUS : Clémentine de Montjoye, clementine.demontjoye@civicus.org

-For FIDH : Samuel Hanryon : +33 6 72 28 42 94

-For the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT): Delphine Reculeau: +41 22809 49 39 / dr@omct.org