was one of five countries that will see an increase in fossil fuel production and subsidies for domestic and overseas projects in 2024. Canada was expected to reach record emissions levels in 2028 with plans to dig 8% more wells in the next year alone. 1. Overview of Human Rights in Canada 2023, 25 September (French only) 2. Canada: “Removed From Our Land for Defending it”: Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders, 11 December Clashes between Coalition of Patriots for Change-affiliated armed groups and government forces, aided by their allies, continued. As of October, 504,992 people were internally displaced. The International Monetary Fund gave financial support as part of an overall USD 191 million aid plan to avert a humanitarian crisis. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY The right to freedom of expression was curtailed. Restrictions were imposed on freedom of peaceful assembly in the context of a new constitution. The security situation deteriorated with grave human rights violations and abuses committed by all parties to the armed conflict. Four people were brought before the Special Criminal Court for crimes under international law. Sexual and gender-based violence remained widespread. Around 2.4 million people were food insecure. In February, a journalist who wrote about corruption in the National Assembly fled the country while on parole, following threats from an unidentified source. He had been sentenced in 2022 to two years’ imprisonment and a hefty fine on charges of defaming the assembly’s first deputy chairman. Another journalist was barred from parliament in March after he investigated alleged failures in the management of the assembly’s budget. A third journalist was arrested and detained for six days in March, accused of working for a newspaper considered to be a dissident publication, and for which he no longer worked. In 2021, the government had blocked online access to the newspaper. During the referendum campaign, opposition parties belonging to the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution organized a demonstration in the capital, Bangui, on 14 July. The authorities banned the protest on grounds of the security situation and the “subversive” nature of the demonstration. They threatened to “bring the offenders into line”. BACKGROUND UNLAWFUL ATTACKS AND KILLINGS In January, the president declared that corruption must be curbed in view of dwindling state resources. In May, parliament adopted anti-corruption legislation. In July a new constitution that could allow the president to run for a third mandate was approved by over 95% of voters in a referendum. The political opposition challenged the legality and fairness of the process. According to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the human rights situation deteriorated, with an increase in violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict. MINUSCA recorded at least 103 summary executions between February and June carried out by the Central African army and armed groups. During the same period, 13 civilians working on a 3. “Quebec, New Brunswick to end immigration detention in provincial jails”, 13 June; “Ontario win a ‘tipping point’ in movement against immigration detention”, 16 June 4. DRC: Powering Change or Business as Usual, 11 September 5. “Health risks from Canadian wildfires an indictment of climate change failures”, 7 June CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Central African Republic 122 The State of the World’s Human Rights