Mr. Alexis Deswaef

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2023-043-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2023
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 11.825138

Longitude: 42.590275

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Djibouti
From Region
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Male
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

an individual complaint that FIDH filed in 2017 before the United Nations Human Rights Committee against the State of Djibouti (CCPR/C/130/D/3593/2019).

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Treaty Bodies: HRC
Dates of engagement
2017
Type of attempted engagement
  • Submission of information to UN
Dates of mentioned reprisals
11-14 March 2023
Location of mentioned reprisals
Djibouti
Reprisal information
  1. In March 2023, members of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), a civil society organization based in France, were denied entry and expelled from the country, respectively, in connection to an individual complaint that FIDH filed in 2017 before the United Nations Human Rights Committee against the State of Djibouti (CCPR/C/130/D/3593/2019).
  2. According to information received by OHCHR, FIDH had organized a visit to Djibouti from 11 to 14 March 2023 that included meetings with the United Nations in country. The FIDH delegation was initially composed of three people: Mr. Alexis Deswaef, a Belgian citizen, FIDH Vice-president and former President of the Belgian Human Rights League; Mr. Zakaria Abdillahi, a Djiboutian citizen living in Djibouti and France, Vice President of FIDH and former President of the Djiboutian Human Rights League; and Ms. Victoire D’Humieres, a French citizen living in France and programme officer at FIDH Africa Department.
  3. On 11 March 2023, Mr. Deswaef entered the country with no incident and was welcomed at the airport by Mr. Abdillahi. On 12 March 2023, Ms. D’Humieres was denied entry into Djibouti upon arrival at the airport despite having a valid entry visa. Without any reason provided, police officers reportedly forced Ms. D’Humieres to board a plane bound for Istanbul the same day. On 13 March 2023, Mr. Deswaef and Mr. Abdillahi visited the United Nations House as planned to raise several human rights concerns in relation to Djibouti. Following their meeting at the United Nations House, Mr. Deswaef’s phone and notes were confiscated by civilian police. Mr. Deswaef was arrested at his hotel, escorted to the airport, and expelled from the country. Reportedly, an unmarked car with an individual in law enforcement uniform and another in civilian clothes followed the FIDH delegation during the 48 hours of their stay in the country.
  4. On 14 March 2023, the Interior Ministry issued a communiqué 36 stating that Mr. Deswaef had been expelled because the FIDH mission lacked neutrality, considering that on 17 November 2017 he had filed an individual complaint before the United Nations Human Rights Committee against the State of Djibouti. According to the communiqué, Mr. Deswaef went to Djibouti to “find out more about the question of human rights in Djibouti”. It further stated that while the State of Djibouti had always cooperated, and would continue to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms, it deplored the actions of FIDH and the deployment of a lawyer who had sued the State of Djibouti before the United Nations Human Rights Committee. In the communiqué, the Government expressed concern at the lack of neutrality of the mission and requested FIDH to reconsider the choice of its emissary.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Expulsion/Denied visa (foreigners)
  • Property damage/raid/search/confiscation
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Release within a day
  • Surveillance
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No