Chad: No accountability one year after deadly ‘Black Thursday’ protests; news site temporarily suspended

General

Closing of political space ahead of constitutional referendum

Dozens of members and supporters of main opposition party Les Transformateurs (The Transformers) were arrested on 8th October 2023, days after an arrest warrant for the party’s leader, Succès Masra, appeared on social media, in what seems, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), to be an attempt to limit political dissent ahead of the constitutional referendum.

On 5th October 2023, Masra informed the Minister of Public Security of his intention to return to the country on 18th October 2023, after he had fled the country following the deadly ‘Black Thursday’ protests of 20th October 2022. That same day, the arrest warrant, initially issued in June 2023 but never made public, indicting him on several crimes such as ‘attempted attack on constitutional order’ and ‘incitement to hatred and an insurrectional uprising’, appeared on social media platforms. As a result, Masra delayed his return to Chad.

According to HRW, at least 78 people were detained and driven to the headquarters of the National Security Agency (ANS) in N’Djamena. Six people were released without charge on 8th October 2023.

As reported previously on the Monitor, Les Transformateurs was suspended in the aftermath of the crackdown on the mass protests of 20th October 2023. The suspension was lifted three months later.

The constitutional referendum, setting the stage for elections and the return to civilian rule, is planned to take place on 17th December 2023. A draft Constitution was approved on 27th June 2023 by the transitional military council, which replaced the National Assembly after the military takeover.

Peaceful Assembly

No accountability one year after the repression of the ‘Black Thursday’ protests

One year after the brutal crackdown on the so-called ‘Black Thursday’ protests on 20th October 2022, little has been done to carry out an independent investigation into the human rights violations that occurred and to hold those responsible to account. That day, security forces fired live ammunition and used excessive force against protesters, killing dozens, and arrested hundreds of people who had gathered to protest against the decision of the military junta to extend the transitional period by two years.

In its report published in February 2023, Chad’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said that at least 128 people were killed in the repression of the protest, in particular in N’Djamena, Moundou, Doba, Koumra and Sarh. The CNDH’s investigation further found that 518 people were injured, 943 people were arrested, 435 detained and 12 people had disappeared.

Another report, published in April 2023 by human rights groups Ligue tchadienne des droits de l’homme (LTDH, Chadian League of Human Rights) and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) said that at least 218 people were killed, dozens tortured and at least 1,300 detained.

Condemned protesters pardoned

In May 2023, 64 people, who were sentenced for participation in the ‘Black Thursday’ protests, were released from prison following a pardon issued by the Head of State and transitional president Mahamat Idriss Déby. As reported previously on the Monitor, 259 people were pardoned in March 2023.

Protests banned

On 1st August 2023, authorities reportedly issued a new order (ordonnance) regulating assemblies and gatherings, imposing heavy sanctions - prison sentences of 2 months to one year and other penalties such as travel bans and house arrests - on people refusing to disperse after the first summation by security forces. Under this order, all gatherings – armed and unarmed – likely to disturb public order are furthermore strictly prohibited. Additionally, security forces can use force against peaceful and unarmed protesters if they refuse to disperse after the third summation. Those convicted of participation in or provocation of a gathering are also held liable for damages resulting from that gathering.

On 27th October 2023, the Minister of Public Security and Immigration Mahamat Charfadine Margui banned a protest planned for the following day by the political party Mouvement Révolutionnaire pour la Démocratie et la Paix (MRPD, Revolutionary Movement for Democracy and Peace), citing risks to public order. A previous protest, planned for 26th August 2023, was likewise banned.

Even before the restrictive regulations set out in the order, protests were regularly banned in Chad. On 12th July 2023, the Minister of Public Security and Immigration banned a protest organised by the party Rassemblement pour le Justice et l’Egalité (RAJET), scheduled for 14th July 2023, reportedly stating that the application for holding the gathering lacked a copy of the order authorising the party and the failure to mention the home of the organiser of the march.

Expression

News site suspended for eight days

On 25th August 2023, Chad’s national media regulator, the Haute Autorité des médias et de l’audiovisuel (HAMA), suspended news site Alwihda Info for a period of eight days over its coverage of the transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno. The regulator accused the news site of having made remarks insulting the president and “liable to undermine cohesion and discipline within the army”. The decision referred to two articles published on the Alwihda site: an article on 19th August 2023 on the dismissal of a colonel by General Idriss Déby Itno and a second article commenting on a speech the president made on 21st August 2023 about the conflict in the north of the country.

Following the suspension, on 26th August 2023, agents of the National Security Agency (ANS) prevented Alwihda Info’s journalist Ahmat Abdoulaye from covering an official event organised by the Ministry of Transport in the city of Bardaï, despite having been invited to the event. Furthermore, the publishing director of the media outlet, Djimet Wiché, said he was followed by two cars on the evening of 26th August, which he suspects belong to ANS, forcing him to hide and spend the night elsewhere.