On the occasion of the interactive dialogues with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of Venezuela and Myanmar, the ICJ urges the High Commissioner and UN Member States to monitor and address attacks on the independence of the judiciary and to protect lawyers, human rights defenders and civic space in these countries.
The Human Rights Council should urgently address the deterioration of the human rights situation in Tunisia, four human rights organizations said today as the 53rd Council’s session is underway.
In a letter sent to UN Member States’ Representatives on 5 June 2023, the undersigned organizations warned against the rapidly worsening situation in Tunisia, and urged States to seize the opportunity of the ongoing Human Rights Council’s session to address it. The organizations called on the Council and Member States to press the Tunisian authorities to comply with their obligations under international human rights law particularly those guaranteeing the rights to fair trial, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and non-discrimination.
The letter in Arabic here.
Signatories:
On 26 June 2023, the UN Human Rights Council heard the reports by the UN Special Rapporteurs on independence of judges and lawyers, and on summary executions. The ICJ welcomes the two reports and raised concerns about the situation in various countries, in particular in Guatemala, Tunisia, Viet Nam, Thailand and Egypt.
Today, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), in cooperation with the Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Bar Association of the Republic of Tajikistan, has convened a roundtable discussion on the importance of preserving the independence and security of lawyers in Tajikistan.
At the final stage of the event, participants will formulate a robust set of recommendations. These recommendations will encapsulate the perspectives garnered throughout the event, strengthening the efforts to bolster the independence and security of lawyers in Tajikistan. The participants stressed the need for ongoing dialogue and collaboration involving the Bar Association and independent lawyers to address these issues.
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Agenda in English Round table on independence and security of lawyers in Tajikistan_eng
Lawyers for Lawyers, the Bar Human Rights Committee, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee (IBAHRI), International Commission of Jurists, the Law Society of England and Wales, and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) are concerned about the ongoing violations of fair trial rights in the ongoing trial of Sri Lankan lawyer and human rights defender Hejaaz Hizbullah. Key witnesses have been subject to threat, coercion, intimidation and arrest.
The full statement can be read here.
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