Freedom in the World 2004 - Central African Republic

Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 5
Status: Partly Free
Population: 3,600,000
GNI/Capita: $1,172
Life Expectancy: 44
Religious Groups: Indigenous beliefs (35 percent), Protestant (25 percent), Roman Catholic (25 percent), Muslim (15 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Baya (33 percent), Banda (27 percent), Mandjia (13 percent), Sara (10 percent), Mboum (7 percent), other (10 percent)
Capital: Bangui

Ratings Change
Central African Republic's political rights rating declined from 5 to 7, and its status from Partly Free to Not Free, due to a March military coup that ousted a civilian president and suspended the National Assembly.

Overview

The long-time president of the Central African Republic (CAR), Ange-Felix Patasse, was deposed in a March 2003 coup and succeeded by the former head of the CAR's armed forces, General Francois Bozize. After seizing power, Bozize dissolved the National Assembly and inaugurated a politically and religiously diverse 98-member transitional council in May. He enacted a transitional constitution, which does not set a time frame for the transition, although he has promised elections by January 2005.

The CAR, a sparsely populated country, gained independence from France in 1960 after a period of particularly brutal colonial exploitation. Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa seized power in 1967 and, as self-declared emperor, imposed an increasingly bizarre personal dictatorship on the CAR, which he renamed Central African Empire. After Bokassa began to murder schoolchildren, French forces finally ousted him in 1979. A French-installed successor was deposed by General Andre Kolingba in 1981.

Kolingba accepted a transition to a multiparty system that led to democratic elections in 1993 and 1999, both of which were won by Patasse. Although international observers judged the 1999 vote to be free, there were reports of irregularities such as ballot shortages in some areas with a strong opposition following, and Kolingba and other candidates claimed fraud. Until the elections, members of Kolingba's Yakoma ethnic group had occupied a disproportionate number of positions in the government, security forces, and state-owned businesses.

UN peacekeepers withdrew in February 2000 following the elections and were replaced by a peace-building office; the mandate was extended for another year in September 2003. In May 2001, a coup attempt led by Kolingba left at least 250 people dead in the capital, Bangui, and forced 50,000 others to flee their homes.

In the country's fourth coup since independence, Patasse was deposed in March 2003 after six months of fighting between government troops and renegade soldiers loyal to General Bozize. Patasse, who ruled the CAR for 10 years, fled to exile in Togo. Following the coup, Bozize created the National Transitional Council with delegates from the country's 16 provinces, as well as from all political, social, religious, and professional associations. The council has been charged with drafting a new constitution and preparing for a referendum scheduled for mid-2004; the presidential election is planned for the third quarter of 2004, and parliamentary and municipal elections are due at the end of 2004. The council voted to exclude Patasse from the reconciliation conference. However, 350 delegates, including some long-time political rivals, attended month-long talks that concluded in mid-October. Key players, including Bozize and former president Andre Kolingba, issued public apologies for the unrest that has troubled the country and affirmed their commitment to peace and economic development. Meanwhile, Bozize has lifted a death sentence imposed in absentia on Kolingba in 2002 and imposed a general amnesty for the participants in the 2001 failed coup. There are currently some 380 French-backed peacekeepers in the CAR.

Although the CAR was barred from an African Union summit in July because of the coup, neighboring countries have recognized Bozize as the new head of state. In late August, the state prosecutor issued an international arrest warrant for Patasse, accusing him of embezzlement, murder, rape, and other offenses. Patasse has also been accused of war crimes by human rights groups.

Most of the CAR's people are subsistence farmers, while diamonds and forestry are the government's main source of foreign exchange. In July 2003, the CAR joined the Kimberley Process, a global initiative aimed at ending trade in so-called blood diamonds by establishing that exported gems have not come from conflict areas. The CAR government has made the commitment to introduce a certificate-of-origin system for diamonds and to pass a new law regulating the issuing of exploitation licenses, which were usually granted at the whim of the president.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

The 1986 constitution, now suspended by General Francois Bozize, allowed the people to choose their leaders in democratic elections. The 1998 National Assembly elections produced a nearly even split between supporters of Patasse, leader of the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People, and supporters of his opponents. Presidential and legislative elections held in 1993, in line with the 1986 constitution, gave the CAR's people their first opportunity to choose their leaders in an open and democratic manner. The Independent Electoral Commission was established in 1999, but it was largely controlled by administrators loyal to the president. A decree later subordinated it to the state Organ of Control to oversee the election process.

The UN Security Council has welcomed the government's efforts to stamp out corruption and establish good governance. At least a dozen senior government officials were arrested in 2002 on charges of embezzlement.

Broadcast media are dominated by the state, but there are several independent newspapers. The only licensed private radio stations are musicor religion-oriented, although some carry programming on human rights and peace-building issues. Legislation enacted in 1998 rescinded the government's authority to censor the press, but authorities have occasionally been restrictive and have used draconian criminal libel laws to prosecute journalists. Several journalists fled the country following the May 2001 coup attempt. Some journalists were tortured.

Press freedom showed signs of improving with the release from prison of Mathurin Momet, publication director of the private daily Le Confident, in March 2003. He had spent more than three weeks in detention. However, Ferdinand Samba, publication director of the independent daily Le Democrate, was detained for four days in July, beyond the legal time limit for detentions in police custody. He was released without charge. Samba had reported that supporters of Patasse had launched an attack on the city of Kaga Bandoro and that 30 people had died in the fighting.

Religious freedom is generally respected, but the government occasionally in fringes on this right. University faculty and students generally belong to many political parties and are able to express their views without fear of reprisal. Open public discussion is permitted.

Several human rights and other nongovernmental organizations operate unhindered, although the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly is not always honored by the authorities. The CAR's largest single employer is the government, and government employee trade unions are especially active. Worker rights to form or join unions are legally protected. The law does not provide for collective bargaining specifically, but workers are protected from employer interference.

Corruption, political interference, and lack of training hinder the efficiency and impartiality of judicial institutions. However, some human rights leaders hailed what they called the independent decision of a court in 2001 to acquit a former defense minister who had been implicated in the May 2001 coup attempt. Limitations on searches and detention are often ignored. Conditions for prisoners, including many long-term pretrial detainees, are extremely difficult and sometimes life threatening. Juveniles are not separated from adults. Police brutality is also a serious problem, and security forces act with impunity.

Discrimination against indigenous Pygmies exists.

Societal discrimination in many areas relegates women to second-class citizenship, especially in rural areas, and constitutional guarantees for women's rights are generally not enforced. However, women have made some gains in the political sphere. Female genital mutilation is still practiced, but it was made illegal in 1996 and is reportedly diminishing. Human rights groups said more than 100 women were raped during the October 2002 military uprising.