What prisoners say or “confess” to under torture should never be admissible in any court proceedings, said the ICJ and other Human Rights groups.
Cambodia-torture-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
Cambodia-torture-position paper-2009 (full text, PDF)
The ICJ has released a letter urging the Government of Nepal to strengthen the proposed Bill on Crime and Punishment of Disappearances to bring it into line with International Human Rights standards.
Nepal-ICJ call for amendments to bill on disappearences-Press Release-2009 (full text, PDF)
Nepal-Recommendation Letter to Peace Minister-Open letters-2009 (full text, PDF)
Emad Baghi, a leading Iranian human rights defender based in Tehran, founded the Society for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights, and has been a vigorous and outspoken opponent of the death penalty in Iran.
His campaigning includes a scholarly examination of Islamic law (shari`a) on the subject, in which he demonstrates the absence of any doctrinal requirement for maintaining capital punishment. In addition, Baghi’s inventory of death row prisoners in Iran, including juvenile offenders, has been an important resource for UN human rights bodies as well as human rights groups outside the country.
Baghi has spent four years in prison over the past decade for his campaigning against the death penalty and other rights activities. Currently out of jail, he still faces charges relating to his work for the defense of prisoners rights. Baghi suffers from serious heart and kidney ailments; in August 2008 prison physicians declared his condition critical.
Martin Ennals Award goes again to a Human Rights Defender-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
The ICJ is concerned that an amendment introduced to new security legislation on administrative detention of irregular migrants would contravene international human rights standards.
Serious failures in the criminal investigation have denied justice in the case of disappeared Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaichit in Thailand, the ICJ said in a new report released today.
The ICJ said there were no signs of concrete progress in bringing the perpetrators to justice and urged the investigators to use all available legal powers to overcome a ‘wall of silence’ in the police and to secure essential evidence.
Thailand-Serious failures in the criminal investigation-Press releases-2009 (full text, PDF)
Link to report of trial obervation mission (in English and Thai)
HRC60: Statement by the International Commission of Jurists in the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
HRC60: International Commission of Jurists in the General Debate under Item 2
Serbia: Political leaders must cease interference with the judiciary
Asia Pacific Region: human rights defenders consider how to address new UN Cybercrime Convention