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Madagascar Human Rights
Historically, Comoros has had a relatively poor human
rights
record. In early 1979, Comorian authorities arrested some
300
supporters of the Soilih's regime and imprisoned them
without
trial in Moroni. Four of Soilih's former ministers also
disappeared. For the next two years, there were further
arrests,
shootings, and disappearances. Under pressure from France,
some
trials were held but many Comorians remained political
prisoners,
despite protests from Amnesty International and other
humanitarian organizations. The Abdallah regime also
restricted
freedom of speech, press, association, citizens' rights to
change
their government, women's rights, and workers' rights.
After
Abdullah's death on November 27, 1989, the country's human
rights
record improved. The European mercenaries who ruled the
island
ordered only a few arrests and released nearly all
political
prisoners who had been detained after the 1985 and 1987
coup
attempts.
This trend continued until March 1990, when Djohar
became
president of Comoros. Opposition to his regime resulted in
questionable human rights practices. For example, after an
unsuccessful August 18-19, 1990 coup attempt, the
authorities
detained twenty-four people without trial in connection
with the
uprising. In October 1990, the security forces killed Max
Veillard, the leader of the conspirators. The following
year,
after efforts to remove him from the presidency for
negligence
failed, Djohar ordered the arrest of several Supreme Court
judges
and declared a state of emergency. Another failed coup
attempt on
September 26, 1992, prompted the authorities to detain
more than
twenty people, including former Minister of Interior Omar
Tamou.
Police held these detainees incommunicado and reportedly
tortured
some of them. The Comorian Human Rights Association also
accused
the Djohar regime of extrajudicially executing individuals
suspected of supporting armed opposition groups. By late
1993,
groups such as Amnesty International continued to monitor
the
human rights situation in Comoros, and to speak out
against the
Djohar regime.
Data as of August 1994
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