News
On 1 and 2 June 2013, we, the West African member parties of the Africa Liberal Network, met in Bamako, Mali to discuss the crisis in Mali and security governance in West Africa. After considering the political and security situation in the region, we resolve the following:
Senegal:
We condemn:
– Non-compliance by the Senegalese government with the judgment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which found it to be in violation of fundamental rights by enforcing a travel ban on liberal leaders and by violating the right to the presumption of innocence;
– Violations by the government on the freedom of expression and assembly enshrined in the Senegalese Constitution.
We urge:
– Respect for the fundamental values and principles of liberalism;
– Respect for the rule of law, including individual and collective freedoms;
– The separation of powers, including an independent judiciary and the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights.
Guinea:
The ALN is concerned that tensions between the government and opposition parties have continued to escalate since the 2010 elections in which Professor Alpha Conde was elected.
Over the past two years Guinean politics has been marred by numerous human rights violations, including violent clampdowns on and harassment of opposition members, extreme politicization of the administration and intimidation of the media. These actions stand in direct contravention of the Guinean constitution, yet continue unabated.
Political and social tensions have now escalated to a point where significant civil unrest is imminent if action is not taken.
In order to avert a crisis, the ALN, in line with its commitment to the principles of freedom, democracy and peace, call on the all parties in Guinea, including both the authorities and opposition parties, to:
– Hold a structured dialogue in order to find consensus on the choice of private election operator, the process for the revision of the voters roll, international voting and the independence of the National Electoral Commission;
– Halt the violence against citizens and opposition leaders and activists;
– Hold free, transparent, universally accepted elections in order to avoid post-election conflict;
– Allow the United Nations to play a role in facilitating a mediation process.
Adopted in Bamako on June 2, 2013.