more than 4,000 people from Venezuela in electoral process was contested by the need of international protection following opposition and civil society organizations. military operations between the Venezuelan The economic and social situation army and armed groups along the border. continued to deteriorate, due to the decline in In October, between 15,000 and 20,000 oil revenue, public debt amounting to US$10 migrants and asylum seekers from countries billion, and the Covid-19 pandemic. There including Haiti, Senegal and Ghana remained were ongoing court cases about charges of stranded in the municipality of Necoclí, corruption involving people close to the Antioquia department, a key transit point for president. people seeking to cross to Panama. Three In November, the state of emergency was people were found dead on 12 October after extended for the 27th time since March a boat sank en route from Necoclí to San 2020, imposing restrictive measures to fight Blas in Panama. the Covid-19 pandemic. ARBITRARY DETENTION 1. Colombia: Protect Journalist at Risk (Index: AMR 23/4654/2021), 27 Civil society activists who were critical of the August 2. Colombia: Amnesty International, PAIIS and Temblores, Shoots on electoral process or who denounced human Sight: Eye Trauma in the Context of the National Strike (Index: AMR rights violations faced judicial harassment. 23/5005/2021), 26 November Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana, coordinator of 3. Colombia: Cali: In the Epicenter of Repression: Human Rights the Congolese Platform of Human Rights and Violations During the 2021 National Strike in Cali (Index: AMR Democracy NGOs, and Chryst Dongui, vice- 23/4405/2021), 30 July president of the association Ras le Bol, were 4. “Colombia: Urgent call for a cease to violence against Indigenous both arrested outside their houses by Peoples in the context of the National Strike”, 9 May unidentified men, on 11 March and 25 5. “Colombia: Amnesty International publishes a ‘Letter from the world’ March respectively. The day before his arrest, demanding protection for defender Jani Silva”, 22 April Chryst Dongui had attended a press conference to denounce alleged irregularities CONGO (THE) in the electoral process. Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana had helped to organize a demonstration scheduled for 6 March to call The Republic of the Congo for an inclusive national dialogue between the Head of state: Denis Sassou Nguesso government, opposition parties and civil Head of government: Anatole Collinet Makosso society organizations, and the release of (replaced Clément Mouamba in May) political prisoners. The demonstration was Repression of critical voices continued, with banned by the authorities. The men, both violations of the right to freedom of human rights activists, were not brought expression, and arbitrary detention of before a prosecutor until 9 April, in human rights defenders and civil society contravention of Congolese law, and charged activists. Women remained under- with breach of the state security. They were represented in decision-making bodies. then sent to Brazzaville central prison where Insufficient efforts were made to guarantee they were held until their release on 13 July, the accessibility, availability and quality of pending trial. During his detention the health healthcare and facilities. Environmental of Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana, aged 77, damage was caused by mining activities. seriously deteriorated but he was denied BACKGROUND access to a doctor. Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, former President Sassou Nguesso was re-elected in candidate for the 2016 presidential election, March with 88.5% of the vote for a fourth returned to prison in October after having successive term, and after 36 years in power spent a year in the military hospital of over two separate periods. The integrity of the Brazzaville. He was sentenced in 2018 to 20 Amnesty International Report 2021/22 135