Apr 26, 2008 | News
In the past three weeks alone there have been reports of wide scale and systematic violence (including cases of torture) of supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in post election political retribution.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors of Human Rights (ZADHR) reported treating over 452 people who had been assaulted or tortured by militias operating with the acquiescence of the state security agents or together with such agents.
At least 10 people are known to have also been extra judicially executed in politically motivated violence perpetrated by the governing party, ZANU-PF. Thousands have been internally displaced and remain without access to adequate food and other social necessities.
Zimbabwe-gravitates towards chaos-Press releases-2008 (full text, PDF)
Apr 18, 2008 | News
The ICJ today urged the Government of Poland to respond fully to concerns about the adequacy of its investigations into allegations of CIA-run secret detention centres in Poland and renditions of terrorism suspects.
The call follows the review of Poland’s human rights record at the first session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Poland-UPR detention renditions-press release-2008 (full text, PDF)
Apr 17, 2008 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
In its submissions to the Committee Against Torture, the ICJ draws attention to the lack of a definition of torture in Swedish law equivalent to that in Article 1 of the Convention.
In addition the ICJ points out the lack of specific criminal law offences of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the failure to institute criminal investigations in respect of a documented case of rendition involving treatment contrary to the Convention.
Sweden-ICJ Submission to the Committee against Torture-Non-judicial submission-2008 (full text, PDF)
Apr 17, 2008 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
In its submissions to the Committee Against Torture, the ICJ draws attention to the lack of a definition of torture in Icelandic law equivalent to that in Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture.
The ICJ also points out the lack of specific criminal law offences of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, raising issues under Articles 2 and 4 of the Convention.
Iceland-ICJ Submission to the Committee against Torture-Non-judicial submission-2008 (full text, PDF)
Apr 16, 2008 | News
On 14 April 2008, the UN Human Rights Council began assessing human rights compliance in Poland as part of a new mechanism monitoring the condition of human rights in the world.
As part of the Universal Periodic Review, the situation in each of the countries will be assessed every four years on the basis of reports submitted by the governments of those countries and documents prepared at the same time by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (among others, on the basis of reports submitted by NGOs). At yesterday’s UN meeting, the Polish delegation, led by the under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, presented the report of the Government of the Republic of Poland on human rights and answered questions asked by the representatives of other countries.
Poland-Polish Government Submits Report to the UN Human Rights Council-Web-2008 (full text, PDF)
