United Nations Human Rights Council
63rd Regular Session – General Debate Agenda Item 2
Oral statement of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
President,
The ICJ highlights two situations that deserve the attention of this Council.
In Tunisia, the government has ramped up its crackdown on human rights defenders and associations. This year, Tunisia’s Court of Cassation upheld the sentences of up to 45 years against opposition leaders, lawyers and others spuriously charged with “conspiracy against State security”.
The President of the transitional justice commission, Sihem Bensedrine, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for her legitimate work. Human rights defender Saadia Mosbah and the Association of Tunisian Magistrates’ President, Anas Hmedi, had their prison sentences wrongfully upheld on appeal. Tunisia has suspended or dissolved scores of human rights associations.
The ICJ urges Member States to call on Tunisia to cease prosecution for political reasons and guarantee freedom of association and expression.
In El Salvador, widespread and systematic arbitrary detention takes place under the state of exception in force since 2022. Over 93,000 people have been arbitrarily deprived of liberty, many without warrant, under a system of police arrest quotas and without access to legal counsel or to their families. Many of these detainees have been subjected to enforced disappearance. The State authorities have neither acknowledged nor investigated some 400 allegedly unlawful deaths in custody credibly documented. Mass trials of thousands of defendants under a single case file constitute systematic denial of the right to a fair trial.
ICJ and Cristosal call on this Council and the OHCHR to effectively address this collapse of the rule of law in El Salvador.
Statement delivered by: Sandra Epal-Ratjen, ICJ International Advocacy Director. Sandra.epal@icj.org
