Feb 25, 1994 | News
The ICJ deplores the outrageous massacre of at least 53 Palestinians in Hebron, in the Occupied Territories, early this morning.
Over 100 Palestinians were wounded, some of them seriously, and, therefore, the death toll is bound to increase.
The ICJ is alarmed over the potential consequences of the massacre and urges the Israeli military authorities to exercise maximum restraint in the coming hours. Already, at least 8 more Palestinians were killed by the army in separate incidents, following this tragic event.
The Palestinians were killed when an Israeli settler in military uniform opened fire on the worshippers inside the AI-Haram AI-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the early hours of the morning.
The ICJ has always maintained that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories are not only illegal but, also, constitute a threat to peace and security in the region.
The ICJ reiterates its concern that the systematic arming of Israeli settlers in the Occupied Territories sets the stage for this act of inhumanity.
Feb 22, 1994 | News
The ICJ released today a preliminary report of its mission to Mexico from 1-10 February 1994 with regard to the recent insurrection of the indigenous peoples in the Mexican State of Chiapas.
Feb 1, 1994 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
A group of 40 distinguished legal experts and media representatives, convened by the ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and the Spanish Committee of UNICEF, met in Madrid, Spain, between 18 – 20 January 1994.
The objectives of the meeting were
- to examine the relationship between the media and judicial independence as guaranteed by the 1985 UN Basic Principles on the Independence of Judiciary;
- to formulate principles addressing the relationship between freedom of the expression and judicial independence.
The Basic Principle is as follows:
- Freedom of expression (including freedom of the media) constitutes one of the essential foundations of every society which claims to be democratic. It is the function and right of the media to gather and convey information to the public and to comment on the administration of justice, including cases before, during and after trial, without violating the presumption of innocence.
- This principle can only be departed from in the circumstances envisaged in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as interpreted by the 1984 Siracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (U.N. Document E/CN.4/1984/4).
- The right to comment on the administration of justice shall not be subject to any special restrictions.
The document contains the Principles, an Annex: Strategies for Implementation, the List of Participants at the Seminar and extracts from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and from the Syracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the ICCPR.
Madrid Principles Media Judicial Independence-non-legal submission-1994-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Feb 1, 1994 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The document consists of three parties. The first is a general review of the basic rules regarding reservations to treaties. The second part contains a country-by-country review, outlining the reservations made by Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand. The third part contains conclusions, focusing on the best strategies for NGO advocacy with regard to these reservations to the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
Asia-Convention Rights of the Child-non-legal submission-1994-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Feb 1, 1994 | News
The ICJ is sending an eight-day fact-finding mission to Mexico today.
The aim of the mission is to investigate the situation prevailing in the southern Mexican State of Chiapas where an armed insurrection led by the “Zapatista National Liberation Army”‘ has met a strong military response.
The mission is comprised of Dr Alejandro Artucio (ICJ Legal Officer for Latin America) and Dr Eduardo Luis Duhalde (Argentina). They will meet officials of the Federal Mexican Government, members of the State authorities of Chiapas, representatives of the local indigenous peoples and of human rights organizations, political and religious leaders as well as all other parties concerned.
