“The SCA provided the NCHR with an opportunity to comment on how it publicly addresses human rights violations including extra-judicial executions, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment of detainees, arbitrary detention, and restrictions on freedom of speech, including harassment of journalists and perceived critics of government in view of third-party criticism received on the lack of NCHR effective engagement or public comment on these issues.
The NCHR informed the SCA that:
- through its NPM mandate, it monitors places of deprivation of liberty and engages national authorities towards making improvements in conditions of detention
- it has carried out investigations, on its own initiative, of allegations of harassment of journalists and perceived critics of government
- it has carried out capacity building programs targeting officials from police, prisons and rehabilitation centres
The SCA is concerned about NCHR’s statements, both in the interview and in its annual report, claiming there are no cases of torture in Rwanda and that it has not found any credible allegation of harassment of journalists by national authorities. The SCA is also concerned over NCHR’s stance that it does not see the need to issue public statements to address these human rights violations.
The SCA notes information from the NCHR that it primarily focuses on handling individual cases of human rights violations. It is however concerned that the NCHR does not publicly address the systemic nature of these violations.
The NHRC should also analyse, report, and publicly comment on the human rights situation in the country regardless of the state officials responsible for human rights violations.
The SCA recommends that the NCHR take immediate and demonstrable actions to address all allegations of human rights violations by government authorities including issuing public statements that condemn human rights abuses and engage with national authorities and relevant stakeholders.
The SCA refers to Paris Principles A.1, A.2, and A.3 and its General Observation 1.2 on ‘Human rights mandate.’”