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ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples' Hiqhts Human Rights our Collective Besponsibititv On the alleged of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment 133. The Commission notes that torture, by its very nature, is inhuman treatment, due to the severity of the suffering and the objective pursued. 59 In Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria, the Commission stated that, '[w]hile being held in a military detention camp is not necessarily inhuman, there is the obvious danger that normal safeguards on the treatment of prisoners will be lacking.w In the samecase, the Commission emphasized that "[b]eing deprived of the right to see one's family is a psychological trauma difficult to justifiJ, and may constitute inhuman treatment. Deprivation of light, insufficient food and lack of access to medicine or medical care also constitute violations of Article 5." 134. Further, to the above, in Abdel Hadi, Ali Radi & Others.» Republig;,Qj Sudan, the Commission states that Regarding the incommunicado detention, death threats, denial of access to medical care and adequate toilet facilities, the Commission observes that holding a person in detention under conditions that are not in keeping wi~}Jhis dignittj and pose a threat to his health amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishmentt'= f~'~., ~' , '!", , 135. In the present Communication, the Commission found above that the Victim has been held in incommunicado detention with no access to a lawyer, or appropriate health practitioners, despite his very serious health condition and his age advanced age of ,73. The 'Commission therefore considers that this amounts to . , inhuman and degrading treatment. 136. For these reasons, the Commission therefore finds that Article 5 of the African Charter has been violated. On the violation of the right to liberty 137. Article 6 of the African Charter provides that: ..(I. ,/"'_u~:url liU ' 1,.. .; f("J Curtis Francis Doebbler contra 0 Sudiio, Queixa 236/00, paragrafo 37. l{" Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria, Communication 151/96, paras 26 and 27. <v 61 Abdel Hadi, A, u Radi & Others v Republic of Sudan, Communication 368/09, patf~~ \ -·· 5Lf An Org31\ 0' tile Afrl'can~;;,'~<\ . ( ; Union \, . j \~ _~ ~/.,)6.;: 59 60 ... T~r../" ' l: o t, ~,' \ ,. .1-'1.;: AU-U \ I.L ~: <If • & 3.:';2. u: I..fJ C ;Z The African commis~' on 'dip uman ~d Pr ol'le~ Rights 31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kom ~kiCIr-v(e.fftl't:oa'S.t Region Phone: ( 2cq;2,30'l\'!{0.1NF,_J.X: ~{))"41 0504 <r.~dh~, Email: a~-b~Orul~(a)!J'f'rrca-union.or2 • https:/achpr.au.inVCI" D

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Communication 704/18 - Berhane Abrehe Kidane (represented by Solomon Weldekirstos and Eritrean Law Society) v. Eritrea

ACHPR Decision

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Type of Document

Decision

Keywords

Arbitrary Arrest and Detention
Civil and Political Rights
Cruel and Degrading Treatment
Detention Facilities/Conditions
Equality
Equality Before the Law
Freedom of Expression / Digital Rights
Freedom of Movement
Freedom of Opinion
Participation in Government
Personal Liberty
Right to be Heard before a Competent Court
Right to Health
Right to Information
Right to Life
Torture and Ill Treatment

Case Head Notes: In 2012, the victim, in his capacity as Minister of Internal Development and Finance, made a proposal which advocated for a new constitutional order. He also stated that his ministry was being undermined by design of the President. The President responded by dismissing the victim from his ministerial position. After his dismissal, the victim wrote a book, which blamed the President for the political crisis in the Respondent State. In 2018, a few days after the book was published, security agents of the Respondent State took the victim to an undisclosed location. His location remains unknown, and he is being held incommunicado, without coming before a court of law, despite his serious health issues. The Commission found a violation of Articles 2 and 3 stating that, although the victim was from the ruling party, the victim was effectively an internal opponent, and deserves the same protection as any other political opponent. Accordingly, the victim's differential treatment, on the basis of his political opinion, violated Articles 2 and 3. Acknowledging that a violation of Article 4 can occur without a death occurring, and that the Respondent State has a heightened responsibility to protect the health of individuals who are detained, the Commission found a violation of Articles 4 and 16 because the conditions of the victim's detention, and the impossibility of pursuing appropriate treatment abroad, were likely to lead to a serious deterioration in the victim's health, and therefore jeopordize the victim's life. The Commission found a violation of Article 5 noting that the lengthy detention, in the conditions referred to, without contact with the outside world, makes it reasonable to consider that it could have caused severe psychological suffering to the victim, and that such a long detention, in itself, constitutes a form of punishment that also meets the second requirement of a torture violation. The Commission found a violation of Article 6 stating that incommunicado detention is incompatible with the requirements of lawful detention, and further that arrest and detention in an unknown location is contrary to Article 6. The Commission found a violation of Article 7, stating that incommunicado detention constitutes the most primary form of the violation of the right to have one's case heard. Noting an absence of a response from the Respondent State, the Commission stated that it must conclude that the detention of the victim, following the publication of their book, violated Article 9 because their expression of opinion resulted in an unjustified detention. The Commission found a violation of Article 12, citing the Respondent State's arbitrary detention of the victim, and also the way they limited the victim's movement in and out of the country, even before his detention. On account of the other violations, the Commission also found a violation of Article 1. The Commission found no violation of Article 13 because the Complainants did not demonstrate to what extent the victim was participating in the government through the publication of his book, and how his detention jeopordized that participation. The Commission called on the Respondent State to immediately release the victim, and ensure full due process rights, if the Respondent State desired further legal action against him. They also urged the Respondent State to facilitate immediate access to medical treatment of the victim's preference, to ensure adequate payment to the victim, and to report on the steps it has taken to implement the Commission's recommendations.

Country

Eritrea

Outcome: Decided on Merits

Year Decided: Mar 8, 2024

Rights Alleged to be Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 9: Right to Receive Information and Free Expression
ACHPR 1: General Obligations
ACHPR 12: Right to Freedom of Movement
ACHPR 12:2: Right to leave any country including his own, and to return to his country
ACHPR 12.1: Right to freedom of movement and residence within borders of State of legal residence
ACHPR 13: Right to Participate in Government
ACHPR 13.1: Right to participate freely in government
ACHPR 16: Right to Health
ACHPR 16.1: Right to Enjoy the Best Attainable State of Physical and Mental Health
ACHPR 4: Right to Life and Integrity
ACHPR 5: Cruel Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
ACHPR 6 : Right to Personal Liberty and Protection from Arbitrary Arrest
ACHPR 9.1: Right to Receive Information

Rights Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 9: Right to Receive Information and Free Expression
ACHPR 1: General Obligations
ACHPR 12: Right to Freedom of Movement
ACHPR 12:2: Right to leave any country including his own, and to return to his country
ACHPR 12.1: Right to freedom of movement and residence within borders of State of legal residence
ACHPR 16: Right to Health
ACHPR 16.1: Right to Enjoy the Best Attainable State of Physical and Mental Health
ACHPR 2: Freedom from Discrimination
ACHPR 3: Right to Equality before the Law and Equal Protection of the Law
ACHPR 4: Right to Life and Integrity
ACHPR 5: Cruel Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
ACHPR 6 : Right to Personal Liberty and Protection from Arbitrary Arrest
ACHPR 9.2: Right to Express and Disseminate Opinions Within the law

Rights Not Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 13: Right to Participate in Government
ACHPR 13.1: Right to participate freely in government

Duration of Procedure

Oct 12, 2018 ~ Mar 8, 2024

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 15.179384

Longitude: 39.782334

Country Geolocation (linked ACHPR Decision): Eritrea

Primary Documents

Berhane Abrehe Kidane v Eritrea.pdf
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African Human Rights CLA 2.0

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Communication 704/18 - Berhane Abrehe Kidane (represented by Solomon Weldekirstos and Eritrean Law Society) v. Eritrea

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