CAR: UN Independent Expert launches mission to assess critical human rights situation in the country

French

GENEVA / BANGUI (1 June 2017) - The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, will visit the Central African Republic (CAR) from 7 to 16 June to assess the critical situation of human rights and the humanitarian response.

The visit will take place in a context of extreme violence exposing civilians, MINUSCA and humanitarian workers to abuses and serious violations of human rights, but also a few days after the publication of the Mapping report on serious violations of international human rights and abuses of humanitarian law in CAR, and the arrival of the Prosecutor of the Special Criminal Court, two significant events in the fight against impunity.

During her nine-day mission to Bangui and the interior of the country, Ms. Keita Bocoum will meet with government, legislative and judicial authorities, as well as representatives of the United Nations, civil society, victims’ organizations, non-governmental organizations and the diplomatic corps.

"I will take this opportunity to assess the human rights situation in light of recent developments in Mobaye, Bangassou, Bria and Alindao, and reiterate my recommendations to national and international actors on the protection of civilians, assistance to victims, reaffirmation of state authority and engagement in favour of justice and development in CAR ", she noted.
 
The mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic was established by the Council of Human Rights on 27 September 2013. Ms. Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, a former professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, held various positions both in Côte d’Ivoire and in the UN. She was Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi, Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to UNOWA, as well as Director of the Division of Human Rights and the Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Darfur.

The Independent Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, country page: Central African Republic

For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Bangui (during the visit): Rosalie Billault (Cell: +23675104938 / rbillault@ohchr.org) or Cherifou Gassama (gassamac@un.org)

In Geneva (before and after the visit): Vanessa Gosselin (+41 22 9179787 / vgosselin@ohchr.org) or write to ie-car@ohchr.org

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