The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (The Commission) informs the general public that, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Seychelles, a delegation from the Commission lead by Honourable Commissioner Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen, Commissioner in charge of monitoring the promotion and protection of human rights in the Republic of Seychelles and Chairperson of the Commission’s Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities in Africa shall undertake a human rights promotion mission to the Republic of Seychelles from 6 to 10 April 2015. This mission is being conducted within the framework of the promotion mandate conferred on the Commission under Article 45 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (The African Charter). The objectives, among others, consist of promoting the African Charter and other regional and universal legal instruments relating to human rights; strengthening the relations between the Commission and the Republic of Seychelles in the area of promoting and protecting human rights as enshrined in the African Charter, including other relevant legal instruments ; collecting all other relevant information, specifically on the human rights situation of women and children, Elderly Persons and persons with disabilities as well as other vulnerable groups in the Republic of Seychelles; it also includes assessing the level of enjoyment of human rights by the people of Seychelles as guaranteed by the African Charter, the legislative and other measures taken by the Government towards their effective implementation, and where necessary, identifying existing challenges encountered; visiting the prisons and other detention facilities in order to assess the prevailing conditions therein as far as the Republic of Seychelles is concerned; etc.
In the course of the mission, the delegation will meet key stakeholders involved in human rights promotion and protection, in particular His Excellency the President of the Republic of Seychelles, His Excellency the Vice-president of the Republic of Seychelles, Ministers and civil servants working in the ministries and national institutions, civil society organisations as well as other advocates working on human rights-related issues in Seychelles.
At the end of the mission, the preliminary observations will be presented to the competent authorities and a press conference organised. The delegation will present the conclusions of the mission in a comprehensive report to be submitted to a later session of the Commission.
Banjul, 2 April 2015