Mar 28, 2019 | Events, News
The ICJ is co-operating in a conference organized by the Council of Europe and the Federal Bar Association of Russia on “Crimes against Human Dignity: Interaction of International and National Remedies”, which will take place today, 28 March 2019 in Moscow.
The Conference will address crimes that affect physical and moral integrity of a person, notably through ill- treatment, domestic violence, trafficking in human beings and other forms of modern slavery. The core provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the related case-law of the European Court of Human Rights are of particular relevance in combatting these phenomena. The Conference will address national and international remedies against such crimes and serve for exchange of good legal practices in that regard.
Mikhail Lobov, Head of Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department of the Council of Europe, Yuriy Pilipenko, President of the Federal Bar Association, Denis Novak, Vice-Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Radmila Dragichevich Dichich, Vice-President of the International Commission of Jurists, Judge of the Supreme Court of Serbia, Ilya Subbotin, Deputy Director of the Depratment of Paneuropean Co-operation of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Petr Sich, Head of Council of Europe Programme Office in the Russian Federation will open the Conference.
The Conference will give an overview of identification and qualification of crimes against human dignity, as well as of assessment of evidence and investigation of such violations. Special attention will be paid to such questions as professional training of practicing lawyers as a factor of strengthening of remedies’ efficiency and, in more general terms, the role of advocates in the framework of the Council of Europe conventions.
The event will take place on 28 March 2019 at 09.30 a.m., in Moscow, Hotel “Azimut Smolenskaya”, Smolenskaya street, 8.
The agenda for the conference is available here
Mar 20, 2019 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ today joined other NGOs in addressing the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, on the situation for human rights in Guatemala.
The statement, delivered by Franciscans International on behalf also of ICJ and other NGOs, read as follows (translation of Spanish original):
“We welcome the High Commissioner’s Report concerning the activities of her Office in Guatemala. We share the concerns and recommendations in the report, especially those related to the indigenous peoples, migrants and legislative initiatives that would impact in the full enjoyment of human rights.
As it was highlighted in the report, we are also concerned by the current discussions on the initiative to reform the National Reconciliation Law. This reform would give amnesty to those who committed serious crimes during the armed conflict, including those who have already been convicted. This puts at risk not only the fulfillment of the state’s obligations to end impunity, but also the security and access to justice of hundreds of victims and witnesses. Guatemala should dismiss immediately the initiative and refrain from promoting any other initiative that would promote impunity.
Additionally, the political and social tensions are intensifying towards the upcoming elections, and the inclusion of various groups, especially indigenous peoples, is at risk. Currently there is a low participation and representation of indigenous peoples in the political scene of the country. Out of 178 seats in the Congress, only 18 are occupied by Mayans (from which only two are women). The State must guarantee free participation, without intimidation or threats, of indigenous peoples running for different positions.
Lastly, the regional human rights situation of migrants is aggravating and the response by Guatemala, as evidenced in the last months, shows the lack of an effective policy to deal not only with migrants in transit, but also to create conditions to prevent forced migration of Guatemalans.
We thank the work that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has done, and we stress the importance of its activities in the country.”
The full statement may be downloaded in English and the original Spanish, in PDF format, here: HRC40-OralStatement-GDitem2-Guatemala-2019-EN-ESP
Mar 20, 2019 | News
Today, the ICJ launched a legal aid clinic project in collaboration with Great Zimbabwe University, Herbert Chitepo Law School to help facilitate the establishment of a legal aid clinic at the University’s Mucheke campus.
The clinic is located at the Mucheke Campus of University in a high-density suburb in Masvingo, thereby making the services offered by the legal aid clinic more accessible for persons from disadvantaged or marginalized groups in the community.
The project, supported by the European Union, aims to improve access to justice for communities by offering free legal assistance at the University legal aid clinic, while also providing an opportunity for students to develop critical skills that will enhance their work as legal practitioners. The activity is part of a wider initiative to develop and improve University legal aid clinics in Zimbabwe.
Arnold Tsunga, the ICJ Africa Regional Director, remarked that the launch of the legal aid clinics is a building block towards greater access to justice for the people of Zimbabwe and a positive step towards attainment of SDG 16 which speaks to the importance of peace, justice and strong institutions.
Francisca Midzi, a representative of the European Union delegation to Zimbabwe, stated in her remarks that “as the law students encounter real legal problems faced by the people, [the initiative] will teach them to have a social and professional responsibility to pursue justice in society. Herbert Chitepo Law School is injecting and inculcating a spirit of service in their students and they will carry it wherever they go to practice law and gradually this will transform Zimbabwe’s legal system to be more concerned about a court user who has limited knowledge and means to fully access justice.”
Professor R.J. Zvobgo, the Vice Chancellor of Great Zimbabwe University, commended this milestone achievement and stated that it provides an opportunity for the students to give back to the community by improving the ability of persons from affected groups to access justice.
“The free legal aid assists in eradicating the notion that a university is an ivory tower, divorced from the realities of the community in which it is located,” he said.
Contact:
Brian Penduka, e: brian.penduka(a)icj.org, t: +263772274307
Elizabeth Mangenje, e: elizabeth.mangenje(a)icj.org, t: +263774742420
Mar 19, 2019 | News
The ICJ in partnership with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) convened a two day training workshop to build the capacity of Chief prosecutors and Senior management to effectively investigate corruption cases.
The training workshop took place at the Wild Geese Lodge, Harare on 18 – 19 March 2019.
The new government under President Mnangagwa, saw a shift in government priorities evidence of this is the launch of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme in October 2018. The Transitional Programme seeks to propel the country towards stabilisation and economic development as well eradicate corruption.
Through this programme, the government has established institutions to deal with corruption, this has seen the establishment of Special Anti-Corruption Courts, which has resulted in an increase in high level arrests on corruption charges. Additionally a new Anti-Corruption Prosecution Unit was established within the Office of the President and Cabinet to improve efficiency in the fight against all forms of graft and to strengthen the effectiveness of national mechanisms for the prevention of corruption.
This anti-corruption training workshop therefore becomes relevant in the government’s fight against corruption. The main objective of the workshop is to enhance the capability of prosecutors to handle corruption cases effectively.
Presentations focused on understanding corrupt practices; defining white collar crime and financial crimes in Zimbabwe; domestic, regional and international framework on corruption; seizure, freezing and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption; and the practical steps to combatting corruption. It is hoped that at the end of the two day meeting, prosecutors will effectively implement legal frameworks and policies in the prosecution of corruption cases.
Prosecutor General Hon K. Hodzi in his opening speech remarked that the NPA is proud of their partnership with the ICJ in their fight against corruption. He was grateful for the continued support from the ICJ. The Prosecutor General noted that corruption is a lived experienced by everyone in this country because it has direct impact on the socio-economic welfare of the people of Zimbabwe. He noted that this was an important workshop which would serve as a toolkit that would help renew the NPA’s approach to in the prosecution of corruption in this country.
The Prosecutor General hoped that the workshop would enable the prosecutors to share knowledge and experience as well meaningful discourse bordering around challenges in the prosecution of corruption cases. This approach would enable the NPA to contribute to effectively eliminating corruption in the improvement of justice in Zimbabwe. He urged prosecutors to show that corruption does not pay and can be defeated.
Present at the training workshop was the Prosecutor General of NPA, senior prosecutors and senior management, representatives from the Judicial Service Commission, Solomon Mhlanga from Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr. Shana from the Judicial College of Zimbabwe, Mr. Zowa from the Law Development Commission representatives from Transparency International Zimbabwe, and representatives from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. There were a total of 45 (forty-five) delegates; 29 (twenty-nine) male and 16 (sixteen) female delegates.
Contact:
Brian Penduka, e: brian.penduka(a)icj.org, t: +263772274307
Vimbai Mutandwa, e: vimbai.mutandwa(a)icj.org, t: +263773517733
Mar 19, 2019 | News
Today, the ICJ held a side event titled “Accountability for crimes under international law in Libya: Challenges and Prospects” during the 40th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The event was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Netherlands and the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany.
A panel of renowned experts discussed a number of issues relating to accountability for crimes under international law in Libya, including shortcomings in Libyan law and practice, political and security challenges impacting prospects for reform, the role of the International Criminal Court, and the consequences for tackling human trafficking and abuse of migrants.
The panel included Monique van Daalen, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands; Salah el-Marghani, former Justice Minister of Libya; Marwa Mohammed, Lawyers for Justice in Libya; Mark Kersten, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, and Wayamo Foundation; Kate Vigneswaran, Senior Legal Adviser for the ICJ’s Middle East and North Africa Programme; and Mary Fitzgerald, Libya researcher and expert.
During the side event, the ICJ presented and distributed a briefing paper highlighting the key issues that hamper accountability for crimes under international law in Libya, including the definition of crimes under domestic law, amnesties and imunities, rights during arrest and detention, and rights at trial.
The paper included detailed recommendations to the Libyan authorities as well as the international community with a view to tackling the main obstacles to the achievement of accountability in Libya.
The briefing paper anticipates the publication of the forthcoming ICJ report on Libya’s criminal justice system.
Download:
Lybia-Accoutability challenges-Advocacy-Analysis brief-2019-ENG (Briefing paper, in PDF)
Libya HRC side event flyer – March 2019 (Event flyer, in PDF)
