Nadjo Kaina arrested and detained incommunicado
On 4 May 2017, human rights defender Nadjo Kaina was released after being detained incommunicado since his arrest on 6 April 2017.
Nadjo Kaina is a human rights defender and a member of Chadian civil society. He is the spokesperson of the citizen movement, Iyina (which means “We are tired” in Arabic). Iyina gathers Chadian youth, members of civil society and opposition working to promote good governance and democratic change. In addition, Nadjo Kaina coordinates the newly-launched Chadian section of Tournons la Page (Let’s turn the page), an international coalition of NGOs which focus on creating a transcontinental movement promoting democracy in Africa. The Chadian section of this citizen movement was launched on 25 March 2017 in N’Djamena. Nadjo Kaina is also former president of the Student Union of Tchad (UNET).
On 4 May 2017, human rights defender Nadjo Kaina was released after being detained incommunicado since his arrest on 6 April 2017.
This is not the first time Nadjo Kaina has been targeted for his human rights work. While Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of the human rights defender, it also condemns his arrest and detention and calls on the authorities of Chad to guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Chad are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
On 6 April 2017, human rights defender, Nadjo Kaina, was arrested in N’Djamena by members of the National Security Agency (ANS) – Chadian intelligence agency – and detained incommunicado. He has not been heard of since then, and his phone is turned off.
Download the Urgent Appeal (PDF)
On 6 April 2017, at approximately 6.00pm, Nadjo Kaina was on his way home from an Iyina meeting, when members of the Chadian intelligence agency arrested him and took him to an unknown location. The meeting was in preparation for an event labelled “Journée Iyina” (Iyina Day), which was scheduled to take place on 10 April 2017 to protest against bad governance, injustice and impunity in Chad. Nadjo Kaina’s family and lawyer do not know where he is being detained and have not been able to contact him since his arrest. This is not the first time that Nadjo Kaina has been targeted as a result of his activism. He has previously been arrested for his human rights work in August 2015 and March 2016.
Front Line Defenders expresses concern at the disappearance of human rights defender Nadjo Kaina, which it believes was solely motivated by the peaceful and legitimate work in the defence of human rights and democracy in Chad.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Chad to:
1. Take all necessary measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Nadjo Kaina and guarantee his physical and psychological security and integrity;
2. Ensure that the treatment of Nadjo Kaina, while in detention, adheres to the conditions set out in the ‘Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988;
3. Inform the family and lawyer of Nadjo Kaina of the place of his detention, and allow them immediate and unfettered access to him;
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Chad are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
