The ICJ called today on President Bolsonaro and other public officials to fully respect judicial independence and the independent electoral procedures during the period surrounding the 2 October Presidential elections.
In a briefing paper released today, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) calls attention to the numerous obstacles and restrictions that Venezuelan lawyers face in exercising their profession.
As Right Livelihood, Réseau International des Droits de L’homme (RIDH), Center for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR), International Commission of Jurists and WOLA have come together to condemn the re-appointment of María Consuelo Porras as Attorney General of Guatemala, the group has released a joint statement on the matter.
Today, the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) call upon the Government to respect the judicial independence of the Constitutional Court and take appropriate measures to guarantee the safety, security, and integrity of Constitutional Court’s justices from threats against them.
The Mexican authorities should commit to a firm timeline for a consultative process with a view to ensuring effective review and modification of domestic legislation to guarantee that persons with disabilities have legal capacity to exercise their rights on an equal basis with others, the ICJ emphasized in a submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Venezuela’s judiciary has become a tool for political control of the country by the Executive branch rather than a defender of the rule of law, said the ICJ in a report launched today.
The 55-page report Judges on the Tightrope documents the undermining of judicial independence in the country, due to the political control or influence on the judiciary, and because of the role the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has played in undermining the independence of judges around the country.
“Justice is a human right and it is a fundamental right for the protection of other rights. Without the essential guarantees of the independence and impartiality of judges, we do not have justice. In Venezuela today, the right to justice is not guaranteed, to the extent that we do not have a system of independent and impartial judges,” said Carlos Ayala, ICJ’s vice president.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice, long controlled by the country’s Executive branch, has overseen a collapse of the rule of law in the country, with some 85 percent of judges holding provisional posts that subject them to political pressure, and courts receiving direct pressure to return verdicts in support of the government and against human right defenders and critics of the government.
“The political takeover of the SJC has placed judges on a tightrope in Venezuela, rendering them unable to defend the rule of law, to provide accountability for the many gross human rights violations in the country, or to protect the rights of the Venezuelan people”, said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Secretary General.
The ICJ recommended Venezuela to depoliticize the judiciary in general, and specifically the Supreme Court of Justice. In addition, the report sets a series of specific recommendations to achieve these goals, in particular by:
The ICJ called on Venezuelan authorities to comply with international human rights law and international standards related to judicial independence, as well as with the decisions and recommendations that different bodies in the United Nations and Inter-American Human Rights System have made, and allow access to the country for international human rights procedures and mechanisms that will contribute to accountability and the restoration of the rule of law.
The ICJ also urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain a mechanism to address proper accountability for gross human rights violations until the Venezuelan prosecutors, courts and tribunals are capable of effectively investigating, prosecuting and judging with independence and impartiality those violations.
Contact
Carolina Villadiego Burbano, Latin American Legal and Policy Adviser, email: carolina.villadiego(a)icj.org
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