Central African Republic: Authorities Laminate Human Rights Watch Report on Civil Liberties
View of Bangui, Central African Republic (illustration image). REUTERS/Siegfried Modola/File Photo
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In the Central African Republic, the authorities issued a lengthy statement on April 13, 2023 in response to a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) on civil liberties in the country. A "shameless" report, "filled with untruths", "fabricated" and which aims to "tarnish the Central African Republic", castigates the government.
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The Central African government is reacting sharply to the latest Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on civil liberties in the country.
In a document published on 4 April, the NGO expressed concern about a "shrinking civic space" in the country, citing the "repression" of civil society, the media and opposition political parties.
These accusations went badly in Bangui, where the minister secretary general of the government issued a four-page statement of reply, also read in full on the national radio and television.
A "shameless" report, "full of untruths"
»Maxime Balalou denounced the "unfounded accusations" made against the government. For the minister, the NGO's report is "shameless", "full of untruths", "fabricated" and aims to "tarnish the Central African Republic" to draw.
According to him, HRW has a "motive": "to revive the security and political crisis" and "to keep (the country) in extreme poverty.
»«
The Central African people are not fooled by a geopolitical and geostrategic maneuver whose purpose is the overthrow of a democratic regime ", he concludes, after highlighting the progress achieved, he believes, under the presidency of Faustin-Archange Touadéra.
#RCA - Report @hrw | The @GouvCF speaks of a report "shameless, full of untruths, fabricated" which aims to "tarnish the image of the CAR" and "unfounded accusations". He wonders about the role & objective of @hrw, which he describes as a "neo-colonialist" NGO... pic.twitter.com/ZpiVvzAJ5D
— Gaetan Kongo (@KongoGaetan) April 13, 2023
More than the NGO's report, it was the author's interview with Radio Ndeke Luka, the country's main private station, that angered the government, as it reached a wide audience.
The organization's Central Africa director, Lewis Mudge, echoed the main criticisms of HRW's findings.
He also describes the "specter of a de facto one-party state" in CAR, and points to the role of the Russians: the "fear" they are enforcing, the abuses committed in the country and their campaign to lead to a change in the constitution.
Finally, note another press release: that of the United Hearts Movement. President Touadera's party denounces the "fabrication" of Human Rights Watch as a "neocolonial propaganda tool" in a "deliberately hostile" campaign against the Central African Republic.
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- Central African Republic