Mr President,
Allow me to extend the gratitude of Sweden to His Excellency Mr Henri Maidou, former vice-president of the Republic and his delegation for taking an active part in our dialogue here today. We appreciate the strong commitment of the government to handle the challenges your country is facing within the area of Human Rights. We would like to raise two issues:
First; Sweden is concerned about the serious human rights violations that took place in the north of the Central African Republic between 2005 and mid 2007. It has been reported that hundreds of civilians were summarily executed and thousands of homes were destroyed
We have noted your responses regarding the measures the Government has taken. We would recommend increasing the efforts to investigate and prosecute the individuals known to be responsible for the violations and ensure that victims are guaranteed remedy, including the right to compensation and reparation.
We would also recommend to continue your efforts to improve the protection for the civilian population.
Second; Sweden welcomes the recent law on reproductive health which provides for access to information on family planning. We also recognise the efforts of the Government to mobilize public opinion against female genital mutilation. We would in this regard recommend the government to prohibit female genital mutilation and take further steps to prevent and address the occurrence of the practice.
Thank you, Mr President.