Feb 9, 2018 | Artículos, Noticias
Hoy la CIJ y varias otras organizaciones presentaron un amicus curiae a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (Corte IDH) en el contexto del proceso de supervisión de cumplimiento de las sentencias dictadas en los casos Barrios Altos y La Cantuta.
Esta supervisión se solicitó a causa de la Resolución Suprema N° 281-2017-JUS del 24 de diciembre de 2017, que concede al ex presidente Alberto Fujimori “el indulto y derecho de gracia por razones humanitarias”.
El indulto otorgado tiene como efecto que el ex mandatario se encuentre actualmente en libertad, a pesar de haber sido condenado a 25 años de prisión por la comisión de graves violaciones de derechos humanos, creando asi un incentivo a la impunidad en el país.
El amicus curiae sostiene que el indulto, tal como ha sido otorgado, es contrario a obligaciones internacionales asumidas por el Perú y, en concreto, desacata lo establecido por la Corte IDH en las sentencias de los casos Barrios Altos y La Cantuta.
El escrito plantea que la potestad presidencial para conferir indultos en el Perú debe ser ejercida en el marco de un Estado Constitucional y Democrático de Derecho.
Si bien el indulto es una atribución presidencial discrecional, ésta no debe ser ejercida arbitrariamente. Se trata de una institución que tiene límites y que debe ejercerse de manera excepcional, siguiendo las normas internas sobre la materia.
El indulto no procede en casos de graves violaciones a los derechos humanos o crímenes de lesa humanidad, como lo son Barrios Altos y La Cantuta.
Los términos en que fue concedido incumple la garantía de necesidad frente a otras medidas que pudiesen preservar la dignidad y la salud del señor Fujimori.
Amiciconcluye que el indulto y gracia otorgados a Alberto Fujimori son contrarios a las obligaciones internacionales en materia de derechos humanos asumidas por el Perú. Se pide a la Corte Interamericana ordenar al Estado dejar sin efectos la Resolución Suprema N° 281-2017-JUS.
Las otras organizaciones que presentaron el amicus curiae con la CIJ son Abogados sin Fronteras, la Clínica de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Ottawa, la Clínica de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Quebec en Montreal, la Fundación para el Debido Proceso, y el Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (IDEHPUCP).
Peru-Amicus Curiae CorteIDH Casos Barrios Altos y La Cantuta-Advocacy-Legal submission-2018-SPA (Amicus Curiae en PDF)
Jan 26, 2018
An opinion piece by Massimo Frigo, Senior Legal Adviser, ICJ Europe Programme.
A legal dispute between first instance ordinary courts and the Constitutional Court in Turkey is leading the country into a major constitutional conflict and severely limiting the chance of people in Turkey to access effective remedies for human rights violations.
On 11 January, two criminal courts in Istanbul refused to apply the rulings of the Constitutional Court ordering a remedy for breaches of the right to liberty and freedom of expression of two journalists, Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay, detained on remand while under trial for terrorism offences and alleged links to the attempted coup of 15 July 2016.
The full piece and legal analysis can be read on the Opinio Juris blog.
Jan 9, 2018 | News
The ICJ today called on the Government of Pakistan to take immediate measures against the increasing practice of enforced disappearances in the country.
A significant number of recent victims were said to be human rights defenders and political activists.
The ICJ highlighted the particular case of Raza Mahmood Khan. Raza, a human rights defender and peace activist, has been “missing” since 2 December 2017 after he organized a public event in Lahore to discuss recent political developments, including religious extremism and the role of state institutions.
Raza is known for his work on human rights, building inter-faith harmony, and promoting peace and tolerance between Pakistan and India. His family and friends have appealed to the police and the courts to trace him, but more than a month since his alleged “disappearance”, his whereabouts are still unknown.
“Many of the victims of enforced disappearances in Pakistan have been activists like Raza, which indicates the shrinking space for activism and dissent in the country,” said Frederick Rawski, ICJ’s Asia Director.
Given that circumstances in which Raza went “missing” are very similar to other cases of enforced disappearance reported recently, the ICJ called on Pakistani authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial, and thorough investigation to determine his fate and whereabouts and hold perpetrators criminally responsible.
“It is not enough for the authorities to deny knowledge of the fate or whereabouts of disappeared people. Are they properly questioning eyewitnesses to abductions? Are they looking for forensic evidence or electronic data from mobile phones? There are clear steps that authorities can and should take to investigate such crimes, and they must act immediately to establish the truth about these cases,” added Rawski.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has, in multiple judgments, acknowledged the role of security and intelligence agencies in enforced disappearances and secret detentions, holding that the practice constitutes a violation of the “fundamental rights” recognized by the Constitution of Pakistan as well as international human rights law.
The State Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has more than 1500 unresolved cases of enforced disappearances as of January 2018.
In 2017 alone, the Commission received 868 reports of alleged enforced disappearances – one of the highest since the Commission’s establishment in 2011. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances also has more than 700 pending cases from Pakistan.
“Despite hundreds, if not thousands, of cases of enforced disappearance reported from across Pakistan, not a single perpetrator of the crime has been brought to justice,” added Rawski. “Not only does this impunity deny truth and justice to victims of the crime, it is also eroding the rule of law and emboldening perpetrators of human rights violations.”
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has on a number of occasions expressed concern about lack of implementation of the recommendations it made following a country visit to Pakistan in 2012, citing among other things continuing impunity arising from failure to diligently investigate allegations.
The UN Human Rights Committee also, in its review of Pakistan’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), noted with concern “the high incidence of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings allegedly perpetrated by the police and military and security forces.”
Pakistan must ensure all persons held in secret or arbitrary detention are immediately released or charged with a recognizable criminal offence and brought promptly before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal for a trial that meets international standards.
The ICJ called on Pakistan to become a party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; recognize enforced disappearance as a distinct, autonomous offence; and hold perpetrators of enforced disappearance, including military and intelligence personnel, to account, through fair trials before civilian courts.
Contacts
Frederick Rawski, ICJ Asia Pacific Regional Director, t: +66 64 478 1121, e: frederick.rawski(a)icj.org
Reema Omer, ICJ International Legal Adviser for Pakistan (London), t: +447889565691; e: reema.omer(a)icj.org
Dec 15, 2017
On the fifth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of the Lao civil society leader, the ICJ and 121 other organizations, express outrage at the government’s failure to investigate Sombath Somphone’s disappearance and return him to his family.
To read the letter:
Lao PDR-Sombath 5 years-Advocacy-open letter-2017-ENG (English version, in PDF)
Lao PDR-Sombath 5 years-Advocacy-open letter-2017-LAO (Lao version, in PDF)
Dec 12, 2017 | News
Zimbabwe’s new government must urgently restore the rule of law and ensure free and fair elections, said the ICJ at the conclusion of a visit by its Secretary General Sam Zarifi to the country.
After the recent military intervention in Zimbabwe that led to the ouster of former President Robert Mugabe, the government headed by Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to remain in office until new elections, currently scheduled to be held before August 2018.
“The change in leaders in Zimbabwe presents an opportunity to reverse decades of damage to the rule of law and respect for human rights in the country,” said Zarifi, ICJ’s Secretary General.
“As an immediate matter, the new government must take concrete steps that demonstrate it is committed to observing the country’s obligations under international law, as well as the human rights protections of Zimbabwe’s own constitution,” he added.
The ICJ calls on the government of Zimbabwe to:
- ensure free and fair elections are held as scheduled, and the country’s electoral laws comply with the Constitution and international standards;
- accelerate measures to ensure compliance of all relevant laws with the country’s constitution and its international legal obligations;
- ensure the independence of the judiciary and the legal system;
- ensure all those arrested and detained during the military intervention are identified and brought immediately before an independent and impartial tribunal, and, where charged with recognized crimes, are given fair trials;
- investigate all allegations of unlawful deaths, torture or ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrest and detention;
- ensure the military acts within strict legal bounds, operates under civilian control, and does not engage in arrest and detention of civilians;
- ensure all security forces, including the police and the military, are subject to accountability and receive proper and adequate training in performing their duties in conformity with international human rights standards; and
- provide credible mechanisms to combat corruption in all branches of government, and ensure that anti-corruption efforts are not politicized.
“Zimbabwe’s military has played a central role in the country’s affairs for decades, while civilian institutions have suffered under intense political pressure, at great cost to the people of the country,” Zarifi said.
“Zimbabwe should grasp this opportunity to demonstrate that it can and will strengthen the rule of law and respect for human rights in order to improve the lives of all people in the country.”
Contact
Arnold Tsunga, ICJ-Director: Africa Regional Programme, t: +27716405926, e: arnold.tsunga(a)icj.org
