Role of Seychelles Defence Forces scrutinised – AG's Office proposes amendment to Constitution

Role of Seychelles Defence Forces scrutinised – AG's Office proposes amendment to Constitution
Victoria, Seychelles | March 17, 2022, Thursday @ 17:13 in National » GENERAL | By: Rita Joubert-Lawen Edited by: Betymie Bonnelame | Views: 587
http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/16475/Role+of+Seychelles+Defence+Forces+scrutinised++AG%27s+Office+proposes+amendment+to+Constitution

The Bar Association is opposed to that proposed constitutional amendment to regularise the militarization of law enforcement, and has asked its members to lobby whoever they can against it.

Copying you my submission to Bar President earlier this week, setting out the reason why I think the amendment is a bad idea:
“Please ask the government to reconsider its decision to amend the Constitution to regularise the militarisation of civilian law enforcement.
The recent history of law enforcement in Seychelles is a compelling case for keeping the military out of police work.
The practice of engaging the army in law enforcement began immediately after the coup in 1977 and has been almost invariably controversial not only from a human rights perspective but also in terms of crime prevention. There are abundant accounts (including testimonies to the TRNUC) suggesting the military personnel acted with unnecessary – and sometimes wanton – brutality, and that in many instances their action amounted to crimes far worse than those they purported to prevent or investigate.
The military’s rules of engagement are fundamentally different from those of the police and are hardly compatible with the penal investigation processes of our legal system, and notably the basic protection afforded to suspects.
It is also concerning that since its inception the military has been associated with serious crimes (the harassment and disappearance of suspected political dissidents, the sale of fire arms (e.g. the Malo weapons in the 1990s) and the brutal crack-down on civilians in an attempt to recover those weapons).
There is no indication that the military has been disabused of those rogue tendencies. In fact some of the suspected officers are still engaged in the army. Besides the TRNUC inquiries, there has been no serious effort so far to investigate those suspected crimes - not even the more crapulous ones.
There is little doubt that the involvement of army personnel in police work and the impunity they have enjoyed since 1977 are some of the main causes of degradation of the Seychelles police force.
Confining the participation of the military in civilian law enforcement to a state of emergency (art 163) is a feature of most modern democratic constitutions. This assumed particular importance in the drafting of the 1993 Constitution on account of the sinister role of the army in the Second Republic. It needs to be noted that provision was only accepted after difficult debate in the Constitutional Commission ( the SPPF delegation seeking to preserve the police role of the army). However, in practice it didn’t prevent successive governments from engaging soldiers in law enforcement. The resulting human rights violations have been a recurrent theme in many depositions to the TRNUC. It is expected that the TRNUC will express a view or make recommendations on the desirability of engaging the military in police work in its final report. To constitutionalise the law enforcement role of the army at this point in time will partly undermine the purpose of the TRNUC.
Clearly, there is no need to amend the Constitution to enable the military to patrol our territorial waters and EEZ or assist in environmental protection or provide humanitarian assistance.
The government should look to reforming and upgrading the police force so that it may competently discharge its mandate, instead of enlarging the powers of the military.”
[28/03, 15:36] We must all lobby our MNAs and maybe start a petition….

Colonel Jean Attala appointed Chief of Staff of Seychelles Defence Forces
Victoria, Seychelles | October 13, 2022, Thursday @ 19:03 in National » GENERAL | By: Rita Joubert-Lawen Edited by: Betymie Bonnelame | Views: 516
http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/17564/Colonel+Jean+Attala+appointed+Chief+of+Staff+of+Seychelles+Defence+Forces

President Ramkalawan appoints new SDF Chief of Staff, Acting Commander of the Seychelles Coast Guard and promotes new officers
The President of the Republic of Seychelles and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan, had the honour to appoint and promote six Seychelles Defence Forces officers. This auspicious ceremony was held at the State House this morning.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=488057743354268&set=pcb.488058576687518

President announces new Defence Forces Council By Laura Pillay
President announces new Defence Forces Council By Laura Pillay |31.10.2022
https://www.nation.sc/articles/15633/president-announces-new-defence-forces-council-by-laura-pillay

Seychelles Defence Forces |31.10.2022
https://www.nation.sc/articles/15630/seychelles-defence-forces