On this African Day for the Protection of Persons in Pre-trial Detention, commemorated each year on 25 April, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) wishes to remind federal and regional state authorities of the need to guarantee the fundamental rights of all persons held in detention, by observing relevant national, regional and international human rights standards embraced under the Ethiopian Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code and the basic safeguards provided under the Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pre-Trial Detention in Africa (the Luanda Guidelines).
The Commission is concerned about the apparent gaps in the implementation of fundamental safeguards for persons in pre-trial detention including non-compliance with court order for release on bail, use of the remand procedure for prolonged pre-trial detention, and ill-treatment of detainees.
EHRC urges the relevant state bodies to play their role in guaranteeing the basic rights of persons in pre-trial detention enshrined under national, regional, and international laws.
