Country: Djibouti

Due to its strategic location, Djibouti is a key ally to major international powers, which maintain military bases in the country while showing little regard for its human rights record. Djibouti is still governed by laws of exception introduced as security measures, and the state of emergency declared in 2015 remains in place. Although the authorities adopted these measures in the name of countering terrorism, they unreasonably restrict the exercise of freedom of association and peaceful assembly.

Free participation in public and political affairs is not guaranteed, as the current president Ismail Omar Guelleh has won each presidential election since 1999, all of which have been systematically boycotted by opposition groups. Members of opposition parties are regularly the target of arbitrary arrest and detention, in violation of the terms agreed in the 2014 reconciliation process. Some parties have been banned and their members prosecuted for having continued their activities.

Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are limited by both the state’s monopoly on national media and a systematic repression of online criticism. Alongside these factors, restrictive laws and the government’s harassment and detention of independent journalists have created a climate of self-censorship that limits media freedom in the country.

Enforced disappearances in the context of transnational repression in the MENA

1 Introduction 1.1 Transnational repression in the MENA According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), transnational repression refers to “acts conducted or directed by a State, or its proxy, to deter, silence or punish dissent, criticism or human rights advocacy towards it, expressed from outside its territory.”[1] These acts often […]

Intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN: Submission to the Secretary-General

Report submitted to the Secretary-General in the context of the preparation of the annual report on intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN in the field of human rights in April 2024.

Quatrième examen de Djibouti par le Conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’ONU : de la rhétorique à l’action

A l’issue de son quatrième cycle de l’Examen Périodique Universel, Djibouti a informé le Conseil des droits de l’Homme de sa décision d’accepter 228 des 269 recommandations que le pays avait reçues. Si Djibouti a accepté la plupart des recommandations appelant les autorités à renforcer la mise en œuvre concrète des droits humains, le pays […]

Djibouti’s fourth review by the UN Human Rights Council: from rhetoric to action

Following its fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, Djibouti informed the Human Rights Council of its decision to accept 228 out of the 269 recommendations it had received. While Djibouti accepted most recommendations calling on the authorities to strengthen the implementation of human rights principles, it did not accept those pertaining to the ratification […]

Le bilan de Djibouti en matière de droits humains est examiné lors du 4e cycle d’examen de son Examen Périodique Universel

Durant son Examen Périodique Universel (EPU) le 9 novembre 2023, Djibouti a reçu 266 recommandations de la part de 100 États sur des questions telles que les droits aux libertés d’expression, d’association et de réunion pacifique. Les États ont également saisi cette occasion pour demander aux autorités djiboutiennes de renforcer la Commission Nationale des Droits […]

Djibouti’s human rights record reviewed at its fourth UPR session

During its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on November 9, 2023, Djibouti received 266 recommendations from 100 States on issues including the rights to freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. States also used this opportunity to call on the authorities to strengthen Djibouti’s National Human Rights Institution.

Examen périodique universel de Djibouti: cinq années d’immobilisme en matière de respect des droits humains

Rapport soumis par MENA Rights Group au Conseil des droits de l’Homme des Nations unies dans le cadre du 4ème examen périodique de Djibouti.

Les défenseurs des droits humains djiboutiens Osman Yonis Bogoreh et Said Abdilahi Yassin soumis à des mesures de représailles

M. Osman Yonis Bogoreh a été arrêté une première fois le 24 octobre 2019 par des policiers en civil à Djibouti (ville) alors qu’il enquêtait en tant que journaliste sur un cas de viol collectif de plusieurs policiers sur des femmes d’origine éthiopienne. Selon des témoins oculaires, M. Osman Yonis Bogoreh a été violemment battu par les […]