AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

case involving Tahoe Resources’ Guatemalan
mine could go ahead.
LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
In February, a 2007 policy limiting
government efforts to seek clemency on
behalf of Canadians sentenced to death in
foreign countries was reversed.
In March, the UN CESCR called on
Canada to recognize that economic, social
and cultural rights are fully justiciable.
In April, the government approved a Can
$15 billion sale of light armoured vehicles to
Saudi Arabia despite human rights concerns.
A 2015 commitment to accede to the UN
Arms Trade Treaty was not met.
In May, the government announced plans
to accede to the Optional Protocol to the UN
Convention against Torture and launched
consultations with provincial and territorial
governments.
Also in May, the government introduced
legislation to add gender identity and
expression as a prohibited ground of
discrimination in Canada’s Human Rights Act
and Criminal Code hate crime laws.
CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC
Central African Republic
Head of state: Faustin-Archange Touadéra (replaced
Catherine Samba-Panza in March)
Head of government: Simplice Sarandji (replaced
Mahamat Kamoun in April)
Conflict between and within armed groups
and militias, as well as between
international peacekeepers and these
groups, continued and involved serious
human rights abuses, including crimes
under international law. Impunity persisted
for those suspected of abuses and crimes
under international law. More than 434,000
people were internally displaced and living
in harsh conditions, and at least 2.3 million
people depended on humanitarian
assistance. Allegations of sexual abuse by
international peacekeepers continued to be
reported.
BACKGROUND
From June onwards, after a period of relative
calm, conflict between armed groups and
attacks on civilians increased. The conflict,
which began in 2013 with the ousting of
President François Bozizé, claimed
thousands of lives. Armed groups,
particularly ex-Seleka and Anti-balaka forces,
continued to control large swathes of the
country, facilitated by mass circulation of
small arms.
Elections were held to replace the
transitional government and on 11 April a
new government was formed.
Some 12,870 uniformed personnel were
deployed as part of the UN Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central
African Republic (MINUSCA), whose
mandate was renewed until 15 November
2017. Following criticism of MINUSCA’s
capacity to respond to attacks, its forces were
strengthened. 1 However, it continued to have
limited ability to protect civilians, given the
vast size of the Central African Republic
(CAR) and the significant presence of armed
groups and militias. French forces, deployed
under Operation Sangaris, were almost
completely withdrawn in October.
In October, the CAR acceded without
reservation to the UN
Convention against Torture and its Optional
Protocol; the International Convention for the
Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance; the Optional Protocol
to CEDAW; and the Optional Protocol to the
ICESCR. However, the CAR authorities did
not recognize the competence of the relevant
treaty bodies.
A major CAR donors’ conference was held
in Brussels on 17 November. The CAR
National Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan
2017-2021 was presented to donors and
requested $105 million over five years to
support measures to both strengthen the
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