East Africa

Sub-Regional Hearing in East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

2 March 2006

 

On 27 and 28 February, Justice Arthur Chaskalson (South Africa) and Professor Stefan Trechsel (Switzerland) visited Kenya to examine the global impact of the fight against terrorism on human rights and humanitarian law.

At the hearing, hosted by the Kenyan Section of the ICJ, information was provided to the Panel on terrorism and counter-terrorism by representatives from governments, national human rights institutions, lawyers, civil society and human rights defenders from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The Eminent Jurists also met with members of the Government of Kenya.

During the hearing attention was drawn to broad definitions of terrorism and related criminal offences, increased executive powers to declare individuals or groups as terrorists or terrorist organisations often without judicial remedy and shifts in the burden of proof contained in recently adopted legislation in Tanzania and Uganda.

The jurists learned with grave concern of allegations of torture and ill-treatment of suspected ‘terrorists’, at times in unofficial places of detention in Uganda (‘safe houses’). It appears from the hearings that similar allegations have been made on various occasions in the past and that there has been no effective investigation of them as required under international law.

For further information, see below the press release issued on 2 March 2006.

Press Release 2 March