Human Rights Group Slams Djibouti Police for Expulsion of Researcher

Human Rights Group Slams Djibouti Police for Expulsion of Researcher

Djibouti police have been accused by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) of unlawfully arresting and expelling one of its members, as well as denying entry to another, during a fact-finding mission to the East African country on Tuesday. The Paris-based human rights organisation has condemned the actions as a violation of international law.

On Monday, Belgian human rights activist Alexis Deswaef was detained at his hotel in an undisclosed African country, then taken to the airport and expelled to Ethiopia, according to a statement from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Deswaef, FIDH’s Vice President, had his notebooks, mobile phone, and SIM cards confiscated by police officers, with no explanation for the sudden expulsion.
Reports indicate that a programme director on a mission for the FIDH was denied entry at Djibouti airport on Sunday, and forced onto a flight to Istanbul, with police refusing to provide an explanation for their decision.
During his two-day stay in the nation, Deswaef spoke with human rights organizations, labor unions, political opponents, foreign diplomats, and UN personnel.
This visit came after the ruling party in Djibouti established a substantial majority in parliament in the last month, due to the boycott of the opposition groups.
The main opposition parties in the strictly regulated Horn of Africa nation declined to take part in the voting for 65 MPs, denouncing the process as a fraud.