Historically, Comoros has had a relatively poor human rights record. According to the Freedom in the World report of 2025, the country is rated as "Partly free" with an overall score of 42/100 between its measured Political Rights and Civil Liberties.
Historical situation In early 1979, Comorian authorities arrested some 300 supporters of the Soilih's regime and imprisoned them without trial in Moroni. Four of Soilih's former ministers also disappeared. For the next two years, there were further arrests, shootings, and disappearances. Under pressure from France, some trials were held but many Comorians remained political prisoners, despite protests from Amnesty International and other humanitarian organizations. The Abdallah regime also restricted freedom of speech, press, association, citizens' rights to change their government, women's rights, and workers' rights. After Abdallah's death on November 27, 1989, the country's human rights record improved. The European mercenaries who ruled the island ordered only a few arrests and released nearly all political prisoners who had been detained after the 1985 and 1987 coup attempts.
This trend continued until March 1990, when Djohar became president of Comoros. Opposition to his regime resulted in questionable human rights practices. For example, after an unsuccessful August 18–19, 1990 coup attempt, the authorities detained twenty-four people without trial in connection with the uprising. In October 1990, the security forces killed Max Veillard, the leader of the conspirators. The following year, after efforts to remove him from the presidency for negligence failed, Djohar ordered the arrest of several Supreme Court judges and declared a state of emergency. Another failed coup attempt on September 26, 1992, prompted the authorities to detain more than twenty people, including former Minister of Interior Omar Tamou. Police held these detainees incommunicado and reportedly tortured some of them. The Comorian Human Rights Association also accused the Djohar regime of extrajudicially executing individuals suspected of supporting armed opposition groups. By late 1993, groups such as Amnesty International continued to monitor the human rights situation in Comoros, and to speak out against the Djohar regime.
In 2018, the ruling President Azali Assoumani (who has been in power continuously, bar the 2006-2016 decade, ever since he staged a coup d'état in 1999), held a controversial referendum which he used to consolidate his power. The opponents of the referendum were actively persecuted. According to the 2025 Freedom in the World report, violence also broke out after the initial results of the 2019 elections were published (in favour of Assoumani), whereby citizens reported several human rights abuses to have happened.
Indicators The following chart shows Comoros's ratings since 1975 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free". Historical ratings YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesStatusPresident 197552Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 197653Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Jaffar 197744Partly FreeAli Soilih 197854Partly FreeAli Soilih 197945Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198045Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198145Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198245Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198344Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198455Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah 198566Not FreeAhmed Abdallah 198666Not FreeAhmed Abdallah 198766Not FreeAhmed Abdallah 198866Not FreeAhmed Abdallah 198965Not FreeAhmed Abdallah 199055Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199143Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199242Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199344Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199444Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199544Partly FreeSaid Mohamed Djohar 199644Partly FreeCaabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed 199754Partly FreeMohamed Taki Abdoulkarim 199854Partly FreeMohamed Taki Abdoulkarim 199964Partly FreeTadjidine Ben Said Massounde 200064Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200164Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200254Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200354Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200444Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200544Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200634Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 200744Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi 200834Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi 200934Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi 201034Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi 201134Partly FreeAhmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi 201234Partly FreeIkililou Dhoinine 201334Partly FreeIkililou Dhoinine 201434Partly FreeIkililou Dhoinine 201534Partly FreeIkililou Dhoinine 201634Partly FreeIkililou Dhoinine 201734Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 201844Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 201944Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 202054Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 202154Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 202254Partly FreeAzali Assoumani 202354Partly FreeAzali Assoumani
International treaties Comoros's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:
International treaties Treaty Organization Introduced Signed Ratified Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide United Nations1948-2004 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination United Nations196620002004 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights United Nations19662008- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights United Nations19662008- First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights United Nations1966-- Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity United Nations1968-- International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid United Nations1973-- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women United Nations1979-1994 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment United Nations19842000- Convention on the Rights of the Child United Nations198919901993 Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty United Nations1989-- International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families United Nations19902000- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women United Nations1999-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict United Nations2000-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography United Nations2000-2007 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations2006-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations2006-- International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance United Nations20062007- Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights United Nations2008-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure United Nations2011--
See also
Freedom of religion in Comoros LGBT rights in Comoros Politics of Comoros
Notes 1.Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on. 2.As of 6 July (Independence Day) in 1975; 1 January thereafter. 3.The 1982 report covers the year 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three year-long reports through interpolation.
References or
External links Freedom in the World 2012 Report, by Freedom House