As delivered by Huda Ibrahim
30th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group
Geneva, May 7, 2018
The United States warmly welcomes the Burkinabe delegation.
We commend Burkina Faso for working to re-establish democratic governance in recent years.
We are concerned by reports of serious human rights abuses by security forces – including reports of extrajudicial killings, and torture committed during counterterrorism operations – and human rights abuses by vigilante groups. We call on these groups to immediately cease their unlawful detention of individuals and transfer them to the appropriate authorities. We urge the government to conduct credible investigations into these reports.
We are also concerned by life-threatening prison conditions, both in government prisons and in unsanctioned vigilante prisons. We urge the government to investigate allegations of physical abuse by jailers.
We recommend that Burkina Faso:
- Investigate credible allegations of human rights abuses and violations, and hold those responsible accountable.
- Take meaningful steps to improve civilian security and access to the formal justice system while building trust in formal law enforcement to prevent the proliferation of vigilante groups.
- Investigate allegations of physical abuse by jailers, and hold the perpetrators accountable, as efforts to improve access to justice will reduce prison overcrowding.