Report On Human Rights Practices For 2011 Country Of Guinea Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a multiparty republic. In July 2009 Malam Bacai Sanha of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was elected president in elections following the assassination of Joao Bernardo Vieira by the military. International observers declared the election to be generally free and fair despite election-related violence preceding the polls. As in the previous year, there were multiple instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. On December 26, fighting between rival factions of the military resulted in two deaths. Serious human rights abuses included beating and torture by security forces, poor conditions of detention, and violence--including female genital mutilation (FGM)--and discrimination against women. Other human rights abuses included arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of judicial independence and due process; interference with privacy; intimidation of journalists; widespread official corruption, exacerbated by government officials' impunity and suspected involvement in drug trafficking; trafficking of children; and child labor, including some forced labor.

Guinea is a republic. In December 2010 Alpha Conde, the candidate of the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) Party and longtime opposition leader, was inaugurated as the country's first democratically elected president since independence from France in 1958. Conde defeated Cellou Dalein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG). While the elections generally were regarded as free and fair, the second round was accompanied by widespread violence. Prior to Conde's inauguration, Guinea was headed by a transition government led by former interim president General Sekouba Konate, the defense minister in the military junta that seized control of the country in 2008. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control, most notably on July 19, when soldiers and high-ranking officers attacked President Conde's home. Using gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, soldiers loyal to the former military junta attacked the private residence of President Conde on July 19. Conde escaped unhurt, but three members of his presidential guard were killed. By the following day, 37 soldiers--including former army chief Nouhou Thiam, two colonels, and former members of Konate's presidential guard--had been arrested. By year's end 50 persons had been arrested and charged in the attack.

Equatorial Guinea is nominally a multiparty constitutional republic. Since a military coup in 1979, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dominated all branches of government in collaboration with his clan and his political party, the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE). In 2009 voters reelected President Obiang with a claimed 95.37 percent of votes cast. The lopsided results and weak independent monitoring of the electoral process raised suspicions of systematic vote fraud. Foreign diplomatic observers noted numerous irregularities and the presence of military personnel at all voting stations. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. Major human rights abuses reported during the year included a disregard for the rule of law and due process, denial of basic political rights including freedom of speech and press, and widespread official corruption.

Senegal is a moderately decentralized republic dominated by a strong executive branch. In 2007 Abdoulaye Wade was reelected president for a five-year term in an election generally viewed as free and fair, despite sporadic incidents of violence and intimidation. Also in 2007 the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) won the majority of seats in National Assembly elections that were boycotted by the leading opposition parties. Security forces reported to civilian authorities. The most significant human rights problems included reports of physical abuse and torture; limits on freedoms of speech, press, and assembly; and corruption. Other major human rights problems included the following: inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees and prisoners, including overcrowded prisons; questionable investigative detention and long pretrial detention; lack of an independent judiciary; rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment of and discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); child abuse; child marriage; infanticide; trafficking in persons; and child labor.

Cameroon is a republic dominated by a strong presidency. The country has a multiparty system of government, but the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) has remained in power since it was created in 1985. It has unfettered control of all government branches. The president retains the power to control legislation and rule by decree. On October 9, CPDM leader Paul Biya won reelection as president, a position he has held since 1982. The election was flawed by irregularities, including the failure to properly distribute all voter cards, late opening of polling stations, multiple voting, ballot-box stuffing, the absence of indelible ink, and intimidation of voters. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. The most important human rights problems in the country were security force abuses--particularly of detainees and prisoners; denial of fair and speedy public trial; and restrictions on freedom of assembly. Other major human rights abuses included arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged and sometimes incommunicado pretrial detention, life-threatening prison conditions, and infringement on privacy rights. The government harassed and imprisoned journalists, restricted freedoms of speech, press, and association, and impeded freedom of movement. Corruption was pervasive at all levels of government. Societal violence and discrimination against women and girls, including female genital mutilation (FGM), was a problem. Trafficking in persons, particularly children, and discrimination against pygmies, gays, and lesbians occurred. There was occasional discrimination against persons with albinism, although such incidents continued to decrease. The government restricted worker rights and the activities of independent labor organizations. Hereditary servitude, forced labor, including by children, and child labor were problems. Although the government took some steps to punish and prosecute officials who committed abuses in the security forces and in the public service, impunity remained a problem.