On 3 June 2025, within the framework of the procedure initiated before the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Alkarama submitted a new follow-up report aimed at denouncing the Comorian President, Mr Azali Assoumani's, persistent refusal to release the former president and political rival, Mr Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, by implementing Opinion No. 65/2018, which concluded that his detention was arbitrary.
Seven years after the adoption of this opinion, Mr Sambi remains detained in undignified conditions. Deprived of contact with his family and isolated, he is today locked up in a state of institutionalised abandonment, in clear violation of international standards.
These conditions amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, contradicting the Comorian state's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This situation reveals the current President's clear desire to silence a political rival in the long term, outside of any legal framework.
Alkarama has worked tirelessly for several years to denounce this unacceptable situation. Since Mr Sambi's arrest, Alkarama has made numerous representations to the relevant UN mechanisms, documented the violations he has suffered, and called for his release on several occasions. Despite these efforts and repeated appeals, the Comorian authorities have not taken any concrete measures to comply with the Working Group's opinion or to guarantee Mr Sambi's fundamental rights. According to those close to him, his health remains alarming.
In light of this ongoing inaction and disregard for the Union of the Comoros's international commitments, Alkarama reaffirms its commitment to continuing its efforts until justice is served to Mr Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi and the grave violations of his fundamental rights cease.