Apr 28, 2011 | News
The ICJ today called upon Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the transitional government to take immediate, concrete, measures to protect human rights.
These measures should aim to end the practice of torture and arbitrary detention; pursue accountability for serious human violations; ensure that civilians are not prosecuted before military courts; and adopt, in accordance with international standards, legal and policy reforms necessary to establish the Rule of Law and effective democratic institutions in Egypt.
Egypt-establishment of effective democratic institutions-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
Apr 23, 2011 | News
The ICJ today called upon the UN Security Council to take concrete measures to ensure the immediate protection of all people whose lives are under threat by the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian security forces.
Syria-protect Syrian population against killings-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
Apr 14, 2011 | News
The ICJ has called upon the Tunisian authorities to take immediate steps to pursue accountability for past human rights violations and to reform the country’s legal framework.
The statement comes as the ICJ concluded a high-level mission to Tunisia aimed at assessing the Rule of Law and human rights situation in the country following theouster of the regime of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on 14 January 2011.
The mission was headed by ICJ President Pedro Nikken, who was accompanied by ICJ Secretary General Wilder Tayler, and ICJ Legal Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa Saïd Benarbia.
Tunisia-rule of law and human rights accountbility-press release-2011 (full text, DPF)
Mar 17, 2011 | News
The ICJ today called on the Syrian authorities to end their persistent attacks on human rights defenders and persons detained for political reasons and the members of their families.
On 16 March 2011, a group of protesters, led by family members of detainees, were peacefully demonstrating outside the Ministry of the Interior in Damascus, calling for the release of their relatives. Plain-clothed security officers launched a violent crackdown on the demonstrators, physically assaulting and arresting at least 25 of them. Detainees were taken to unknown locations and are reportedly held in incommunicado detention.
Mar 17, 2011 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
Since 1963, under the framework of a State of Emergency, serious and widespread human rights violations have been committed in Syria, including torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests and detentions.
Suspected political opponents, human rights lawyers and other defenders have been regularly and arbitrarily detained, ill-treated and, in many cases, held without charge or trial for several years. Others have been convicted and sentenced, under the emergency law and other restrictive dispositions of the Syrian Penal Code (in particular Articles 267,273, 285, 286, 287, 288, and 307),to lengthy prison terms after grossly unfair trials before military courts, the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC), or civilian courts.
In spite of the persistent and consistent reports of these human rights violations, Syrian authorities have failed to investigate them promptly and independently, and to bring to justice State officials and laws enforcement officers allegedly responsible for these violations. They have enjoyed effective impunity.
Syria-UPR submission ICJ-non-legal submission-2011 (full text, PDF)
