Oct 6, 2012 | News
The ICJ today expressed its heartfelt condolences at the passing away of Professor Vojin Dimitrijevic.
An international law expert and ICJ Commissioner, Vojin Dimitrijevic died at the age of 81 on 5th October 2012 in Belgrade.
He was the Director of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, serving in this position since the organisation’s foundation in 1995. Until 1998, he was also Professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Belgrade Law School.
Professor Dimitrijevic was a member of the Presidency of the Civic Alliance of Serbia and former President of the Yugoslav Association for International Law. He was also a member of the Venice Commission for Democracy through Law and of the Institut de Droit International.
From 1982-1994, he was a member of the Human Rights Committee, serving as Rapporteur and Vice-Chairman at different stages during this time. He taught at many universities throughout the world and published numerous books and articles on human rights issues.
In 2001, he was bestowed the order of the Legion d’Honneur by the President of France, Jacques Chirac.
Vojin Dimitrijevic graduated with a PhD from the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade. He was first elected as an ICJ Commissioner in 2003 and re-elected in 2008. He was also a member of the ICJ’s Executive Committee, serving in this role between 2006 and 2012.
Oct 3, 2012 | News
The Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, voted on 2 October 2012 in favor of a bill that would ban “homosexual propaganda”. The ICJ and ILGA-Europe have condemned the draft law and called on Ukrainian authorities not to adopt it. Two hundred and eighty-nine out of 450 members of parliament supported the bill, which is now expected to move for a second round of reading in parliament later this month.
The organisations are deeply concerned about the impact of Draft Law no. 8711 on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ukraine as well as the rights of everyone to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. ICJ and ILGA-Europe urge the Ukrainian parliament to withdraw the bill from its agenda and call on the Chair of the Parliament and the President, who would both need to sign the bill in order for it to become law, to speak out against it.
The bill would modify several existing laws in Ukraine, including criminal law, and introduce sanctions for the import, production and distribution of products that would “promote” homosexuality. “Promotion of homosexuality” is itself undefined. “If voted into law, it would lead to the further marginalisation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in the country and would limit the work of human rights defenders,” Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe said.
ILGA-Europe and the ICJ believe that Draft Law no. 8711 is incompatible with international human rights law. First it is so vague that it fails to conform to the requirement that restrictions must be provided for by law. Under the draft law, it is impossible for an individual to determine what kind of expression is banned. Second, the asserted reasons for the “homosexual propaganda” ban fail the tests of proportionality and necessity. In other words, the restriction serves no permissible purpose. Third and finally, the homosexual propaganda ban discriminates against LGBT people by prohibiting public discourse on issues that matter to LGBT lives. “Restrictions on rights may not be discriminatory, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is clearly prohibited under international law,” said Alli Jernow, Senior Legal Adviser of the International Commission of Jurists.
The EU should raise these developments in the context of the monitoring of the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan. Parliamentary discussion of this law clearly demonstrates that progress is stalled. If the bill passes a second reading, further negotiations with Ukraine should be delayed or ultimately suspended. We also call on the Council of Europe to unequivocally denounce Draft Law no. 8711 in representations to the Ukrainian government.
The law is expected to be discussed at a second hearing in the coming weeks. After that the Chair of the Parliament and the President would need to sign the bill before it would become official law.
ICJ and ILGA-Europe earlier this year issued a joint briefing paper on “homosexual propaganda bans” that have been enacted or proposed in Europe and other Eastern European countries.
Photo credit: Insight NGO
Sep 20, 2012 | Agendas, Events
La Commissione Internazionale di Giuristi ed il Consiglio Italiano per i Rifugiati organizzano un seminario per giudici, giudici di pace ed avvocati sui principi di diritto internazionale applicabili all’espulsione o allontanamento dei migranti e richiedenti asilo.
Il seminario sarà suddiviso in due giornate:
La prima giornata (giovedì 20 settembre – 14:30 – 18:30) analizzerà la normativa e la giurisprudenza internazionale sul principio di non-refoulement o di non respingimento, la sua applicazione nella giurisprudenza italiana, assieme ad una prospettiva di diritto comparato con il sistema spagnolo.
La seconda giornata (venerdì 21 settembre – 14:30 – 18:30) analizzerà in maniera più dettagliata la normativa e la giurisprudenza internazionale in materia di rispetto delle misure provvisorie degli organismi internazionali. Tratterà inoltre del loro rispetto in Italia e della sospensione dell’espulsione in casi di non-refoulement attraverso esperti nazionali.
Il semnario è a gratuito ed a numero chiuso (25 persone). Trovate il procedimento d’iscrizione e l’agenda del seminario nei documenti qui sotto.
AnnuncioSeminarioICJCIR-events-20-21settembre-2012-ita (text in PDF)
Agenda seminario-events-agenda-20-21 settembre 2012-ita (text in PDF)
Sep 19, 2012 | News, Publications, Reports, Trial observation reports
A new report by the ICJ says there have been multiple violations of human rights in the arrest and trial of Azimzhan Askarov, a prominent Kyrgyz human rights defender.
Sep 13, 2012 | Agendas, Events
La ICJ ed l’ASGI organizzano un seminario per giudici, giudici di pace, avvocati ed altri operatori legali e studiosi sui principi e le norme di diritto internazionale ed europeo applicabili al controllo giurisdizionale della detenzione dei migranti ed alla protezione dei richiedenti asilo.
Il seminario sarà suddiviso in due giornate, con ampi spazi per discussione:
La prima giornata (venerdì 14 settembre – 14:30 – 19:00), dopo un excursus generale sul diritto internazionale ed europeo in rispetto al diritto italiano, analizzerà la normativa e la giurisprudenza internazionale sul diritto al controllo giudiziale della detenzione dei migranti.
La seconda giornata (sabato 15 settembre – 8:30 – 13:30) analizzerà in maniera più dettagliata la normativa e la giurisprudenza internazionale in materia di protezione internazionale con ampi riferimenti alla situazione attuale italiana.
Il seminario è a numero chiudo (50 persone) e gratuito. Il programme del seminario e l’annuncio con le istruzioni per iscriversi sono disponibilii qui sotto.
AnnuncioSeminarioICJASGI-events-1415Sett2012 (text in PDF)
AgendaseminarioICJASGI-events-agenda-1415Sett-1-2012-ita (text in PDF)
Aug 27, 2012 | News
The ICJ today expressed its concern at the dismissal of Judge Miroslava Todorova, a judge of the Sofia City Court, and Chairperson of the Bulgarian Judges Association.
