Sierra Leone

Presidential and Parliamentary polls were held in Sierra Leone in August five years after the end of civil war. The elections were largely peaceful with opposition All People’s Congress Party (APC) led by Ernest Koroma getting 44.3 per cent of the votes and winning 59 seats. The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) led by Vice President Solomon Berewa could garner only 38.3 per cent of votes winning only 43 seats. Following the election results, the National Electoral Commission announced that there would be presidential election run off on September 8, as none of the candidates won 55 per cent of the votes in the first round. Charles Margai of the People’s Movement for Democratic Change who had defected from the SLPP won 13.9 percent of votes has stated that he would back the APC in the second round of polls. In their departure statement, the Commonwealth Observer Group stated that they were “deeply impressed by the quality of performance of the National Electoral Commission”1 and hoped that their recommendations for improving the electoral process would be considered.

Pakistan

Standoff between the militants and students holed up inside the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) and the Pakistan Military in Islamabad ended with the latter storming the mosque after attempts at negotiations failed. The Lal Masjid operation was the military’s response to a siege that took place at the Red Mosque, known for its radical teaching of Islam between 03 July and 11 July 2007. Newspapers have reported that more than 1000 students surrendered to the secuity forces before troops stormed in. More than hundred casualties were reported. The non-governmental organisation the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for an independent inquiry into the Lal Masjid operation. HCRP stated its concerns over the high level of force used by the military to secure the mosque, and the consequent high level of casualties and over the allegations that the militants used women and children as human shields.

In another major development the Pakistan Supreme Court reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. The Government officially accepted the Court decision recalling that the decision to suspend the Chief Justice had been based on various complaints received against him. His dismissal had caused widespread protests by lawyers, advocates and other opposition parties. Human rights groups see this decision as a landmark in the independence of the judiciary from political interference.

Cameroon

Legislative and Municipal elections were held in July with the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement led by incumbent President Paul Biya winning 140 seats out of a total of 180 Parliamentary seats. The Opposition Social Democratic Front managed to win only 14 seats. There have been reports of irregularities with the oppostion declaring the elections to be ‘sham’1. It has also been reported that voter turn out was low and there have been allegations of wide spread rigging. In a joint media release issued in August, the embassies of Northern Ireland, United States of America, The Netherlands embassy and the British High Commission have criticised the polls and called for the setting up of an independent Electoral Commission.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroonian_
parliamentary_election,_2007

Kenya

The ongoing campaign of the Freedom of Information Network to draft a Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill for Kenya has finally been realised. In May, the FOI Bill 2007 was introduced in parliament by the Honourable Gideon Moi; a milestone in the nation’s fight for information. The country’s Officials Secret Act has impeded the quest for the right to access information for many years yet the current Bill has the support of many sections of Kenyan society including many government officials, civil society organisations, and a large percentage of the population. Enactment of the Bill will confirm Kenya as a leading democracy in Africa and set an example for the many African countries still to introduce access to information legislation.

Australia

Australian citizen, David Hicks, was sentenced to seven years in prison, after being held for five years in Guantanamo Bay. All but nine months of his sentence were suspended and will be served in Australia following plea-bargaining. It has been reported that in the plea-bargain Hicks agreed not to report on abuse by US forces during his detention. The Australian government remains dismissive towards protests by civil rights groups on this issue.

India

The European Parliament passed a resolution that urges India to end human rights violations against Dalits. The resolution says that although the caste system is illegal in India, human rights violations in relation to the caste hierarchy are the “best kept secret” of India. The resolution says that the EU will raise these issues during upcoming EU-India summits.

Papua New Guinea

Voters in this south Pacific island state went to polls from 30 June to 14 July. Incumbent Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare of the ruling National Alliance Party (NAP) was re elected again for the second consecutive five-year term. The year’s elections followed the Limited Preferential Voting instead of the First Past the Vote system allowing the voters to number their three most preferred candidates.1 The First Past the Vote system had led to a volatile situation in the country with large scale violence during 2002 elections. While no party got the absolute majority, a coalition of parties led by NAP secured 86 votes in the 109 seat Parliament. Elections were largely peaceful with few deaths reported. Thousands of police officers and soldiers were deployed throughout the country during the polls.

Fiji Islands

The Fiji Human Rights Commission was suspended in April from the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, an international representative body aiming at developing and supporting national human rights institutions in compliance with the international standards on human rights institutions (the Paris Principles). The suspension is a direct result of the Fiji Human Rights Commission releasing a report in January supporting the military take over.

In another important development, the Pacific Centre for Public Integrity reported to Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative that its Director, Angenette Heffernan was informed on 18 July by Immigration Director Viliame Naupoto of her placement on a travel ban list. This decision followed Ms. Heffernan’s lawyers’ deportation on 26 June 2007 allegedly in an attempt to interfere in a case filed by Ms. Heffernan against the interim Government following the overthrow of the Fiji democratically elected Government in December 2006. This constituted the third case in July 2007 of an activist placed on the travel ban list. Mr. Graham Leung, former President of the Fiji Law Society, and Ms. Shamina Ali, Coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, were both placed on the list on 16 July 2007.