In July, the government proposed a new bill CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY on criminal responsibility and national In September, the Senate adopted an security, which again included a provision amendment to the bill on “trust in the judicial allowing video recordings by drones in a wide system” to give commercial courts range of circumstances. While the provision competence to hear disputes over the explicitly ruled out the use of facial corporate duty of vigilance – a legal duty recognition technologies, it fell short of obliging larger companies to publish annual subjecting the use of drones to an vigilance plans to address any adverse independent oversight mechanism. At the impacts of their activities on human rights end of the year, the bill was still pending and the environment. Civil society before parliament. organizations expressed concern as they had FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT called for civil courts to have competence on these matters. On 21 October, a joint In May, the Riom Appeal Court confirmed the committee rejected the Senate’s amendment, administrative control measures in place thereby ensuring that companies’ human against Kamel Daoudi and his conviction for rights and environmental impacts would be missing a curfew in 2020, having agreed in adjudicated in the Paris civil court. In February to release him on bail while re- December, a Court of Cassation ruling examining his case. Kamel Daoudi had been recognized the jurisdiction of civil courts in subject to administrative control measures the first legal action brought under the duty restricting his rights to freedom of movement of vigilance law. and private life since 2008. FAILURE TO TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS DETAINEES’ RIGHTS In February, an administrative court ruled for In June, the European Committee for the the first time ever that the authorities’ Prevention of Torture (CPT) raised concerns inaction in failing to tackle the climate over violence and abuse suffered by people emergency was illegal and that the in pre-charge detention, including alleged government could be held responsible for not racist and homophobic insults by police. fulfilling its commitments. The CPT also expressed concerns over overcrowding and other conditions in French prisons, as well as the detention of mentally GAMBIA ill people in regular prisons due to a lack of suitable facilities. Republic of the Gambia IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS Head of state and government: Adama Barrow In September, civil society organizations People were arbitrarily arrested in Sanyang, launched court proceedings to ensure and protests continued to be restricted. The transparency and access to information on Access to Information bill was signed into arms transfers from France to Saudi Arabia law. The long-awaited report by the Truth, and the United Arab Emirates, which had a Reconciliation and Reparations Commission substantial risk of being used to commit or was submitted to the government. Fishmeal facilitate serious violations of international factories had a negative economic and human rights or humanitarian law in the environmental impact on local populations. conflict in Yemen. The government and Women and LGBTI people continued to face parliament failed to reach an agreement to discrimination. The torture bill was still establish a parliamentary oversight pending at the end of the year and death mechanism on arms transfers. sentences continued to be handed down by courts. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 170