Botswana

In August, the UN Committee for Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) ruled in a wartime rape case that BiH failed to ensure an impartial and effective investigation and adequate reparation to the victim. The Committee called on BiH to provide immediate and comprehensive support to survivors of wartime sexual violence.

In July, the country marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide when more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed; survivors continued to face insurmountable obstacles to obtaining truth, justice and remedy.3

Over 7,200 people remained missing as a result of the armed conflict. Political pressure and lack of resources continued to impede the work of the BiH Missing Persons Institute.

1. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Reckless restrictions of movement leave refugees and migrants stranded without protection (News story, 25

August)

2. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Authorities create gratuitous suffering for hundreds left without shelter (News story, 1 October)

3. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre is a sombre warning from history (News story, 9 July)

Republic of Botswana Head of state and government: Mokgweetsi Masisi

Food insecurity remained widespread. State of emergency legislation was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which further restricted the right to freedom of expression. Police subjected political activists to torture and other ill-treatment. Death by hanging was maintained as a punishment for crimes including murder.

BACKGROUND

On 2 April, the President declared a state of public emergency and also introduced legislation under the Emergency Powers Act. He ordered a 28-day national lockdown subject to parliamentary oversight, which was extended for another week on 28 April.

Later that month, the President pardoned 149 prisoners to ease prison overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty of those released were reportedly foreign nationals. It was not clear which crimes were pardoned or how long the prisoners had left on their sentences.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

According to the NGO Ditshwanelo (the Botswana Centre for Human Rights), a 16year-old boy was flogged at a traditional court in Mahetlwe village in Kweneng District by the village’s Deputy Chief, and on instructions from the police, for not wearing a face mask.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Food insecurity remained widespread, mainly as a result of recurring drought. It was compounded by an African Migratory Locust outbreak in February which affected staple crops. These factors, combined with COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures like border closures, adversely affected food supplies and further exacerbated food insecurity levels.

The impact of lockdown and movement restrictions was particularly harsh for people working in the informal economy, among the most vulnerable to a socio-economic shock, who represented the majority of workers across the country, and particularly those who mainly worked in the agricultural sector as well as street vendors.

In May, the government enforced the wearing of face masks in public and imposed a maximum fine of BWP5,000 (approximately US$432) or up to five years’ imprisonment for anyone who failed to comply.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

The Emergency Powers Act prohibited journalists from using “source(s) other than the Director of Health Services or the World Health Organization” when reporting on COVID-19. Journalists failing to obey faced a fine of up to BWP100,000 (approximately US$8,100) or a five-year jail term. The Act outlawed publishing information with “the