Webinar: Comparative study and findings on the impact of criminal, security and other exceptional laws and policies in select francophone and lusophone countries [26 August 2025]

Dear Colleague

Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique were formerly colonised by Belgium, France, and Portugal, respectively. Despite gaining independence in the early 1960s, their legal systems remain influenced by the legal traditions and frameworks of their former colonial powers. While the Penal Codes of all three countries have undergone reforms over the last 25 years, several colonial-era provisions remain. New laws have also been enacted which disproportionately target individuals and marginalised groups perceived as threats to the prevailing political or social order. Laws relating to defamation, public assemblies, and public decency are often vague in scope, allowing for broad and discretionary enforcement by authorities. These laws present significant challenges in practice and are frequently used to suppress dissent and disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including women, youth, children, human rights defenders, political opponents, and civil society activists thus undermining the rule of law and human rights protections

The Dullah Omar Institute, L’Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Tortue - Cote d’Ivoire (ACAT-CI), Burundi Bridges to Justice (BBJ) and Research for Mozambique (REFORMAR) invite you to a webinar to discuss the impact of criminal, security and other exceptional laws and policies in Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique. During the webinar, a comparative research report will be launched drawing attention to legal provisions and practices that are discriminatory, exclusionary, or exceptional in nature. Several of these laws are incompatible with fundamental human rights principles, including freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and other norms enshrined in UN treaties and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The webinar will highlight the impact of problematic legal frameworks and enforcement practices in these three countries.

We look forward to your participation in this important dialogue.

Facilitator: Lukas Muntingh (Dullah Omar Institute)

Panellists:

• Janelle Mangwanda (Dullah Omar Institute)
• Wenceslas Assohou (ACAT-CI)
• Théoneste Manirambona (Burundi Bridges to Justice)
• Ilídio Nhantumbo (REFORMAR)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Following registration, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We would like to acknowledge the Open Society Foundations and the Sigrid Rausing Trust for making this webinar possible.