In the margins of the UN Human Rights Council’s 21st regular session, the Centre Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM) and the ICJ today held a parallel event on impunity and exploitation of natural resources in Guatemala.
The event discussed the overall question of justice for indigenous communities in Guatemala. It was followed by the showin of excerpts from Grégory Lassalle’s documentary Des déreives de l’art aux dérivés du pétrole.
Panellists included Ramón Cadena, Director of the ICJ Central America Programme; Hilda Ventura and Mario Mucú, representatives of the Maya communities of San Andrés and Petén; and Melik Özden, UN Representative and Co-Director of CETIM.
The ICJ called on the UN Human Rights Council to strengthen measures to fight impunity in the department of Petén in Guatemala, and to encourage the Government of Guatemala to adopt measures to protect human rights defenders.
The ICJ delivered its oral statement on 18 September 2012 in the course of a panel discussion on indigenous peoples’ access to justice, during the course of the 21st regular session of the Human Rights Council.
The ICJ joined the International Movement ATD Fourth World and others in supporting the final version of the draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights.
During the 21st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Ms Maria Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona, presented the final version of her draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights.
In an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur, on 12 September 2012, the ICJ joined a statement by almost 20 non-governmental organisations from throughout the world. The statement describes the draft guidelines as extremely important and calls on the Human Rights Council to adopt them.
The ICJ called on the UN Human Rights Council to request the Security Council to immediately refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. Watch the webcast of ICJ’s statement.
As a matter of urgency, the Security Council should take other effective measures to protect civilians and address the humanitarian crisis in Syrian cities and villages, the ICJ urged. The ICJ delivered its oral statement on 17 September 2012 in the course of the general debate on situations requiring the Council’s attention, during the course of the 21st regular session of the Human Rights Council.
The ICJ calls upon the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release 13 human rights defenders and political activists convicted by the Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain.
On 4 September 2012, they were convicted on charges relating to “conspiracy to overthrow the government”, “espionage” and “violation of the Constitution”. The sentences against the defendants ranged from 5 years to life imprisonment.
The ruling of the Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the convictions and sentences of the detainees handed down last year by the National Safety Court and the National Safety Court of Appeal, two exceptional military courts established under the royal decree of 15 March 2011, which declared the “state of emergency”. On 30 April 2012, the Bahraini Cassation Court ordered their retrial before a civilian court.
“The retrial by the Criminal Court of Appeal failed to remedy the failures of the original trials and to meet international standards of fair trial, including the right to be presumed innocent and to equality of arms. The Prosecution failed to provide any credible evidence against these detainees and their right to defence has been severely undermined at all stages of the proceedings,” said Said Benarbia, Senior Legal Adviser of the ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme. “The retrial relied heavily on the findings of the first two trials, including “confessions” that the defendants claimed were obtained through torture and other ill-treatment.”
The Bahraini authorities should ensure that these allegations of torture and ill-treatment are promptly, independently and effectively investigated.
The Bahraini authorities should also ensure that the rights of human rights defenders and political activists to freedom of expression, association, and assembly are fully respected.
“Instead of subjecting these defenders and activists to various forms of harassment, intimidation and unfair trials, the Bahraini authorities should initiate comprehensive, meaningful and lasting constitutional and legal reforms that establish the rule of law and that fully protect the rights of Bahrainis to take part in the conduct of public affairs and to choose the form of their government,” Benarbia added.
For more information:
Saïd Benarbia, Middle East & North Africa Senior Legal Adviser, ICJ, t +41 22 979 3817; e-mail: said.benarbia(at)icj.org
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In the margins of the UN Human Rights Council’s 21st regular session, the Centre Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM) and the ICJ today held a parallel event on impunity and exploitation of natural resources in Guatemala.
