Guinea-Bissau: Briefing for international election observers

The fragility of the country has been exacerbated by the open tension between the civilian authorities and the armed forces, as well as by in-fighting within the armed forces,who have run the country openly or from behind the scenes. [...] Assessing the conditions pertaining to the elections without taking into account human rights violations committed in the context of the elections will inevitably undermine public confidence in the election monitoring process. [...] Amnesty International is therefore calling on elections observers to Guinea-Bissau to include human rights monitoring as a central part of their brief and to take on board these recommendations: 1. The role of the international community The intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) sending observers to monitor the elections in Guinea-Bissau should give attention to human rights concerns in observing [...] In addition, the armed forces should be instructed to refrain from interfering in the electoral process, before, during and after the voting, Amnesty International is calling on governments and IGOs who send observers to bring any shortcomings in these requirements to the attention of the relevant authorities in Guinea Bissau and review the situation both during and after the elections. [...] In particular, observers should monitor respect for human rights in the following key areas: - freedom of expression, association and movement of candidates and their supporters and voters - the right to peaceful assembly at public gatherings of candidates and their supporters - harassment and intimidation of candidates and their supporters and voters.