Jun 11, 2012 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ, together with other NGOs, submitted four documents and oral statements to the 19th Annual Meeting of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
From 11 to 15 June 2012, the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council will undertake its 19th Annual Meeting. On behalf of 22 non-governmental organisations, the ICJ addressed an open letter dated 1 June 2012 to the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures. Building on a Joint Statement produced following the 18th Annual Meeting in 2011, the letter welcomes some positive developments and initiatives, and provides comments or suggestions for improvement on the following topics:
- the communications reports of the Special Procedures;
- the handling of urgent appeals and individual communications;
- non-cooperation by States;
- reprisals against persons who cooperate with the UN;
- the OHCHR compilation of UN information for the Universal Periodic Review;
- NGO briefings conducted in the margins of Human Rights Council sessions; and
- the Special Procedures “facts and figures”.
In an oral statement during the Annual Meeting, the ICJ also drew attention to the recently elaborated Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Jun 1, 2012 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The statement was delivered today at the 19th Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The International Commission of Jurists called on the Human Rights Council, as a matter of the utmost urgency, to request that the Security Council immediately refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to take concerted and united action with the General Assembly to end the ongoing massacres in Syria.
Syria-ICJ-Human Rights Council SS19-non legal submission-2012 (Full text in PDF)
Apr 19, 2012
In 2009, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights initiated the “Dublin Process” to encourage all stakeholders in the treaty monitoring process to provide suggestions for strengthening of the treaty body system.
In November 2011, following a serious of national, regional and international consultations, a group of treaty body experts and other stakeholders convened to elaborate an outcome document, known as the Dublin II Statement (available below).
The International Commission of Jurists has endorsed a 15-point summary of Dublin II outcome document, prepared by Amnesty International (available below). The High Commissioner for Human Rights will in June 2012 publish a report compiling the various proposals made during the Dublin process.
Building on the Dublin Process, the General Assembly adopted resolution 66/254 in February 2012, through which an open-ended intergovernmental process has been initiated to conduct open, transparent and inclusive negotiations on how to strengthen and enhance the effective functioning of the treaty body system.
A group on non-governmental organizations that regularly contribute to the work of the treaty bodies, including the ICJ, have identified a list of seven issues and corresponding recommendations that in their view should be addressed in the inter-governmental process (available below)
Effective functioning system-position paper-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Dublin II outcome document-publication-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Dublin II document 15 points-publication-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Apr 19, 2012
In this submission, the ICJ highlights the failure of the Syrian authorities to comply with the Committee’s previous recommendations.
By letter of 23 November 2011 to the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to UNOG, the Committee against Torture requested Syria to present a special report, prompted by by the Committee’s deep “concern at numerous, consistent and substantiated reports and information, from various reliable sources, about the widespread violations of the provisions of the Convention by the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic since the adoption of the Committee’s Concluding Observations on the State Party’s initial report to the Committee (CAT/C/SYR/CO/1), in May 2010”.
In response to this special reporting procedure, the ICJ is highlighting the Syrian authorities failures to: incorporate into Syrian domestic legislation the crime of torture as defined in the Convention; reform the Syrian legal framework in accordance with international human rights standards; investigate thoroughly all cases of torture and ill-treatment committed in Syrian prisons and detention facilities; and address the pressing issue of impunity for acts of torture and other serious human rights violations in Syria.
Syrian Arab Republic-Special report Torture- non-legal submission-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Oct 14, 2011
In this submission, the ICJ highlights the failure of the Moroccan authorities to comply with the Committee’s previous recommendations.
During its 47th session on 31 October to 25 November 2011, the UN Committee against Torture will undertake an examination of the fourth periodic report of the Kingdom of Morocco. In preparation for this examination, and in response to Morocco’s combined report, the Committee issued a list of issues to be considered during the forthcoming examination. The ICJ has submitted a parallel report to the Committee against Torture, which includes replies to aspects of some questions in the Committee’s list of issues, and sets out concrete recommendations for Morocco’s implementation of obligations under the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The ICJ’s submission focusses in this respect on three thematic areas: (i) torture under the Moroccan legal framework; (ii) torture and ill-treatment in the context of the United States-proclaimed “war on terror” and United States-led “secret renditions” program; and (iii) torture and ill-treatment in the context of combating “terrorism” in Morocco.
