We, the young people of the Commonwealth, are deeply concerned about the Commonwealth's continued silence and inaction in the face of severe human rights abuses and targeted killings of youth across its member states. From Bangladesh to Kenya, Nigeria to Zimbabwe, and the recent xenophobic incidents in the United Kingdom, young people have been brutally targeted, murdered, harassed, maligned, unlawfully detained, and abducted. This wave of violence represents the most significant youth-led resistance against poor governance, demanding for reforms in democratic institutions, and calling for accountability on human rights. Yet, the Commonwealth, an organization that prides itself on upholding democratic values and human rights, remains conspicuously silent.

In Bangladesh, over 800 young people have been killed. In Kenya, more than 60 have been murdered, more than 100 maimed with many having bullet wounds, and many more were abducted with some still missing. In Zimbabwe, more than 200 people have been brutally targeted, detained, and silenced. Uganda has witnessed targetted harrasment, arbitrary arrests and torture of those aligned to te opposition, or simply pushing for reforms and good governance. In Nigeria, atleast 13 people were killed during the recent Pro-good governance protests. State sponsored suppression, torture and extra-judicial killings go un-investigated and unaddressed, and hundreds of victims lay in hospitals with life-altering injuries and no support from governments. States continue to criminalise protests and picketing and citizens voices and concerns are either ignored or violently suppressed.

Police  brutality and extra-judicial killings are the order of the day, live bullets are used against peaceful protesters and the state sponsored perpetrators never face a day in court. Instead, young, peaceful protestors who wield only symbols of patriotism-their flags, a bottle of water, bold t-shirts and loud voices-face teargas, rubber and live bullets, batons, arbitrary arrests, falsified arrest reports, torture, targeted online bullying by state sponsored 'bloggers', suspension and expulsion from institutions of higher learning among other weaponised repercussions.

These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of oppression and state-sponsored violence against the youth who dare to demand for their rights.

While this slaughter of Commonwealth youth unfolds, the organization ironically claims to celebrate its vast youthful population. But what do these numbers mean if they are merely statistics for slaughter? How can the Commonwealth boast of its commitment to young people while turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed against them? The Commonwealth's approach of silent diplomacy is in essence them aiding and abetting its Members States’ criminal and autocratic endeavours. 

As the Commonwealth prepares for CHOGM 2024 and candidates gear up for the next Secretary-General elections, we demand for transparency and accountability. We call upon the Commonwealth to publicly state their positions and planned actions regarding these continuous atrocities that amount to a targeted genocide against Commonwealth youth.

We recognise the different mechanisms put in place by the Commonwealth in pursuit of human rights, democracy and good governance. We however question the role of these very offices that are meant to ensure that member states are kept in check-specifically-the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), The human rights division, the diverse Commonwealth working groups (such as the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative), the Office of the Criminal and Justice Reform-all falling under the leadership of the Commonwealth's Secretary General.

We demand for the following:

1. Immediate and Public condemnation of all state perpetrated human rights violations: The Commonwealth must openly denounce the killings, illegal detentions, and disappearances of youth in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, and the xenophobic attacks in the United Kingdom.
2. On the reinstatement of Zimbabwe as a Commonwealth Member State: We demand that Zimbabwe is not reinstated as a Commonwealth Member State until the violations to the human and democratic rights of its citizens are addressed. This includes the release of all arbitrarily arrested, abducted and detained activists, a review and amendment of democratically oppressive Acts of Parliament and a demonstrated commitment to the respect for the human and democratic rights of citizens including young people and student leaders.
3. Accountability and Sanctions: The Commonwealth should impose sanctions on member states where human rights violations and state-sponsored violence against youth are occurring including the suspension of and/or sanctions to member states such as Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Bangladesh and other countries until proof of measures towards attaining justice for victims as well as other significant reforms are made.
4. Policy Reforms and Action at CHOGM 2024: We urge CHOGM to prioritize human rights and democratic governance in its agenda, implementing policies that address these abuses rather than ignoring them. 
5. Active monitoring and reports on the state of democracy and human rights in Commonwealth states: A review and report on the state of human rights and democracy in the Commonwealth and a related scorecard that is reviewed and applied during every CHOGM by the relevant Commonwealth Ministerial Committee (CMAG) to inform any consequential actions that should be taken on member states.
6. Support for Victims and Survivors: The Commonwealth should offer support to the families of victims and survivors of state-sponsored violence, ensuring they receive justice and protection. This includes relevant pressure and a mandated requirement for accountability and justice from affected Member States.
7. A demand for, and pursuit of, clear anti-corruption measures required to be submitted to the relevant ministerial committees by member states regularly backed by states’ commitment to strong and deliberate, clearly articulated and implemented non-tokenistic public participation policies and measures that includes the opinions of all citizens including young people.

We call on the Commonwealth to take bold steps in addressing and stamping out any forms of oppression or dictatorial tendencies among its member states and associated countries. It is crucial that the Commonwealth collaborates with other international bodies like the UN and the African Union to engage and hold accountable countries that violate democratic principles. Only through collective action can we ensure that all member states uphold the values of freedom, justice and human rights.

As citizens of the Commonwealth, we will not remain silent while our peers are being slain, harassed, maligned online and abducted in the streets. We call on the global community to join us in this demand for justice. We will raise our concerns at Marlborough House, and in Samoa during CHOGM, and we will amplify our voices online. We will take videos, write letters, and call out the Commonwealth for its inaction.

Our demands are informed by various consultative folium's held by the different Commonwealth Youth Networks and represent millions of young people's concerns and voices. We shall present a comprehensive petition with demands, recommendations and queries on the role of the Commonwealth in a vastly changing world-where young people are taking the forefront in challenging oppressive global systems and neocolonial based structures. We play a role in shaping the future of the Commonwealth-and we are actively taking it. We are not waiting to be invited to the table, we are extending an invitation. We  invite you-global leaders-whose role is to serve your citizens, to join our table. Because if this year's theme is to be achieved, -"One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth", -it must be co-created.

The Commonwealth's quiet diplomacy in the face of these atrocities is not just silence; it is complicity. We demand more than hollow words, tweets asking for calm, thoughts & prayers and symbolic gestures—we demand for justice, accountability, and a commitment to the values the Commonwealth claims to uphold. Young people form 60% of the Commonwealth's 2.5 Billion people. We speak as a constituency, we speak as one. 

Signed:

Commonwealth Students Association

Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network

Young people of the Commonwealth

Commonwealth citizens