5. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti
Go ahead and get any jokes regarding Djibout’s name out of the way right now. While the name can draw smirks, the human rights record in Djibouti is certainly no laughing matter. A small country located on the horn of Africa, Djibouti also has one of the worst human rights records in the world.
Ruled since 1999 by Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, Djibouti is home to less than a million people, and its land mass in one of the smallest in the world. This small size has made it easy for the government to rule the country with a brutal, iron fist. Guelleh was essentially appointed President after his uncle stepped down. Technically, Gulled could only run for two terms, but in 2010 he was able to push through reforms to stay in office.
Djibouti does hold elections, but they are shams, and not considered legitimate by international authorities. Serious rivals are disallowed from running, the press is tightly controlled, and citizens lack a general say in their government.
The government has also been accused of numerous other human rights violations. State sanctioned murder, detainment without charge or trial, human trafficking, and other charges have been levied against the government by the United States State Department and other authorities.
During the Arab Spring, protesters did take to the streets to challenge Guelleh’s rule, but these protests were swiftly and violently put down. Since then, protesters have been arrested on numerous occasions. Prison conditions are terrible and over crowded, and there are reports of prisoners being beaten and tortured.
As with many developing countries, Djibouti suffers from rampant corruption. Allegations against the government are not investigated, and senior government officials can essentially operate with impunity. In order to keep tabs on people, the government often employs plainclothes security members to infiltrate mosques and other popular meeting places.