Impeachment of Sri Lankan Chief Justice: Government must adhere to international standards of due process
The impeachment process against Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake must follow international standards of due process says the ICJ.
Geneva Seminar for Lawyers on International Human rights Law in the Criminal Justice Process
The ICJ will hold a five-day seminar in Geneva for lawyers from Central Asian countries on International Human Rights Law in the Criminal Justice Process.
The training seminar, from 5 – 9 November, will cover international human rights law related to fair trial, the right to liberty, freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life; as well as UN human rights mechanisms. The training will involve ICJ Commissioners and legal advisers, as well as other experts. Participants will meet with members of Committee against Torture, and with representatives of other treaty bodies and UN Special Procedures. The participants will also attend a session of the Committee Against Torture, to observe the reporting process.
The seminar aims to build a strong connection between national lawyers in Central Asian countries and the international human rights system. It will provide a forum for detailed and practical discussion on international human rights law and its application in practice in national systems, drawing on the experiences of experts on international jurisprudence, standards and mechanisms, to ensure more effective application of these standards in Central Asian countries.
Agenda-CISTraining-2012-eng (download the agenda in English)
Agenda-CISTraining-2012-rus (download the agenda in Russian)
October ICJ E-Bulletin on counter-terrorism and human rights – no. 67
Read the 67th issue of ICJ’s monthly newsletter on proposed and actual changes in counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices and their impact on human rights at the national, regional and international levels. The E-Bulletin on Counter-Terrorism and Human...
Sri Lanka: ICJ report documents ‘Crisis of Impunity’
The Sri Lankan government must immediately cease its assault on the independence of the judiciary, the ICJ said in a new report.
Zimbabwe: High Court rules in favour of human rights defender
The ICJ welcomed the judgment issued on 24 October 2012 by the Zimbabwe High Court in favour of Farai Maguwu, a human rights defender and director of the Centre for Research and Development.
In September 2011, members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) confiscated a number of Farai Maguwu’s possessions, including cash, a laptop computer, a camera, and bank cards, at the Harare International Airport while he was about to depart for a human rights conference in Ireland.
The ICJ is concerned that the seizure of property may have been undertaken as an attack on Farai Maguwu for his legitimate human rights work.
According to media reports, Hon. Justice Mathonsi ordered, “the seizure of the applicant’s property by the State agents…be and is hereby declared wrongful, unlawful and unjustified”.
Since the confiscation of his property by the CIO over a year ago, no charges had been brought against Mr Maguwu, neither was his property returned.
Justice Mathonsi affirmed that deprivation of property must only be done in accordance with due process of law. Farai Maguwu had not been advised of the legal basis or reasons for the seizure of his property.
“We congratulate the judiciary of Zimbabwe for this judgment which adheres to the principles of the rule of law, justice and respect for human rights. Furthermore, it is a reminder to State agents that in carrying out their duties they ought to do so within the parameters of the rule of law,” commented Martin Masiga, Deputy Director of the ICJ Africa Regional Programme.
The ICJ calls on the Zimbabwean judiciary to continue to uphold the rule of law and fulfil their responsibility in protecting human rights in Zimbabwe.
Contact:
Martin Masiga, Deputy Director, ICJ Africa Regional Programme, t: +27 11 02482
Kazakhstan: disciplinary action against judge Zhumasheva is an attack on judicial independence
The ICJ today expressed its concern at disciplinary sanctions and threats of criminal prosecution against Judge Aliya Zhumasheva of the Kachirsk District Court of Pavlodar Region in Kazakhstan.
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