Benin

survivors of sexual violence; such centres already existed in three cities.

In March, due to COVID-19, the authorities closed the office accepting asylum claims. Hundreds of people were temporarily denied access to asylum and consequently to food and housing. The authorities established an online registration system that was inadequate. In over 100 individual cases, the Labour Court ordered the Federal Service for reception of asylum-seekers to ensure access to material assistance.

In September, a government commission tasked with reviewing returns and removal procedures and practices, presented its report to Parliament, which called for increased use of repressive measures, including pre-removal detention and harsher penalties for irregular entry. Civil society organizations criticized the regressive approach and presented an alternative report with human rights-compliant proposals.

“Stop Ethnic Profiling”, a platform launched in June, expressed concern that ethnic profiling by police increased during lockdown.

In July, four local police forces adopted a framework outlining how police should avoid ethnic profiling.

In June, 10,000 people protested against racism and police violence in Brussels. In response to the pandemic, public gatherings were banned, but the authorities tolerated the protest. In several other towns, local authorities banned smaller protests.

The state response to COVID-19 included the increased collection, retention and aggregation of personal data. Privacy experts and civil society organizations advocated for safeguards to protect the right to privacy,

including by ensuring the swift erasure of data allowing identification.4

Concerns remained that continued authorization of arms transfers by the Wallonia region to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen could mean such arms being used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Following legal action by NGOs, the Council of State annulled several such licences.

1. Les maisons de repos dans l’angle mort: Les droits humains des personnes âgées pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 en Belgique (in

French only) (Report, November)

2. Policing the pandemic: Human rights violations in the enforcement of

COVID-19 measures in Europe (EUR 01/2511/2020)

3. Sondage sur le viol: Chiffres 2020 (in French only) (Article, 4 March)

4. Global: COVID-19, surveillance and the threat to your rights (Press release, 3 April)

Republic of Benin Head of state and government: Patrice Athanase Guillaume Talon

Tensions between the government and opposition parties persisted following disputed parliamentary elections in 2019. The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Court) requested that Benin suspend the May local elections, pending its decision on a case brought by political opponent, Sébastien Ajavon, concerning the exclusion of the Social Liberal Union Party

from local elections. A few days later, the government barred individuals and NGOs from submitting direct complaints to the African Court, and the May elections went ahead.

In December, the African Court ordered Benin to take all measures to repeal the Amnesty Law for all the criminal offences relating to the 2019 legislative elections.

The government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing certain restrictions on human rights and releasing 411 prisoners.

The authorities continued to detain and prosecute journalists under certain provisions in the 2018 Digital Code that unduly restricted the right to freedom of expression.

On 3 January, Aristide Fassinou Hounkpevi, editor of the online L’Autre Figaro newspaper, was arrested by agents of the Central Office for the Repression of Cybercrime. He was charged with “harassment through electronic communication” in connection with comments he made on social media about the possible appointment of the Foreign Minister as ambassador to France. He was released on 9 January but his case was kept open for further investigation.

Ignace Sossou, a journalist, was released from Cotonou Prison in June, after the Cotonou Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to 12 months, including six months suspended for “harassment through electronic communication” after he posted on Twitter quoting the Public Prosecutor.

In July, the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication ordered unauthorized online media outlets to close. The decision was viewed by some in the media as a way to silence opposition media.

On 10 November, Loth Houénou, a political opponent, was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of XOF200,000 (US$370) for “harassment through electronic communication”. He was arrested on 26 June after he published audios on social media criticizing the President and other institutions.

Restrictions introduced to control the spread of COVID-19 were used to prevent political opponents from organizing meetings and rallies. However, demonstrations by government supporters went ahead without interference.

In August, the police prevented a meeting organized by Frédéric Aïvo, a political opponent, on the grounds that it was unauthorized.

In March, the police shot dead Théophile Dieudonné Djaho, a student, during a demonstration against the arrests of three National Student Federation members at the University of Abomey-Calavi. The Honorary Chairman of the NGO Voices of Students filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court against the President and the Minister of Interior and Public Security for human rights violations. The government announced an investigation.

In April, videos were distributed on social media showing the police beating people for not wearing face masks.

In May, Antonin Lokossi was shot dead by a Forest Service guard in the town of Toffo in Atlantique department while he was gathering firewood. He was at the time accompanied by two members of his community, who said they were unarmed when guards fired at them.

In March, health sector unions raised concerns with the authorities about their exclusion from initiatives to manage the impact of COVID-19 on the health and safety of their members. In July, they issued a public statement denouncing the lack of PPE and poor working conditions.

Police arrested a health worker on 8 June after he posted a warning on social media about a COVID-19 outbreak at OuéméPlateau Departmental Hospital Centre. He