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Djibouti: Teacher trade unionist sentenced to prison
 | In partnership with the Education International, a global union federation of 396 associations and unions in 171 countries and territories, representing some 32.5 million educators and support professionals. |
Omar Ali Ewado, Deputy General Secretary of the Education International-affiliated teachers' union SEP (Syndicat des Enseignants du Premier Degré) and President of the Human Rights League of Djibouti (Ligue djiboutienne des droits humains - LDDH) has been arrested and sentenced to 3 months in prison for publishing a list of victims following the massacre of civilians perpetrated by the security forces on 21 December 2015 in the neighbourhood of Balbala in Djibouti. It is unacceptable that Mr. Ewado be punished for his legitimate activities as a human rights defender. We are also deeply concerned about his poor conditions of detention. Furthermore, Mr Ewado's lawyer was detained by the authorities at Djibouti airport and was therefore unable to defend his client, which is a clear violation of international standards on the right to defence. The appeal trial will take place on Saturday 30 January.
We call on the authorities of Djibouti to guarantee a fair appeal trial for Mr. Ewado and to put an end to all forms of harassment against him and all human rights defenders in Djibouti.
