Nov 29, 2015
El 27 y 28 de noviembre de 2015, en Lima y Ayacucho (Perú), la CIJ y el Equipo Peruano de Antropología Forense (EPAF) realizaron dos seminarios sobre los derechos de los familiares de víctimas de desaparición forzada y de ejecución extrajudicial.
Con ocasión a estos Seminarios la CIJ hizo el lanzamiento de su nueva Guía para profesionales No. 10 “Desaparición forzada y ejecución extrajudicial: los derechos de los familiares”.
Ambos Seminarios abordaron, desde la perspectiva del Derecho internacional y de experiencias comparadas, los derechos de los familiares de víctimas de desaparición forzada y de ejecución extrajudicial, con especial énfasis en sus derechos a la investigación, la justicia, la verdad, la reparación y a las garantías de no repetición.
Los Seminarios contaron con la participación de José Pablo Baraybar (Director del EPAF), Gisela Ortiz (Directora de operaciones del EPAF), Camilo Umaña Hernández (defensor de derechos humanos de Colombia), Gloria Cano (APRODEH), Carlos Rivera (Instituto de Defensa Legal), Rosa Lía Chauca (Red para la infancia y la familia, Redinfa), Ronald Gamarra (Abogado de la CIJ) y Federico Andreu (Representante para Suramérica de la CIJ).
A ambos eventos asistieron, entre otros, magistrados, jueces, fiscales y representantes de la Defensoría del Pueblo de Perú, miembros de asociaciones de víctimas y de familiares, organizaciones no gubernamentales de derechos humanos, autoridades locales, representantes de la comunidad diplomática y periodistas.
Universal-PG Desaparizion forzada N10-Publications-Practitioners’ Guide-2015-SPA (full text in PDF, Spanish)
Nov 28, 2015 | News
The ICJ co-hosted the Joint Zimbabwe Judicial-Legal Practitioners Colloquium in Zimbabwe. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) and the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) of Zimbabwe.
The meeting took place on 27 – 28 November 2015 under the theme “Access to Justice: Barriers and Solutions (A Bar-Bench Dialogue)”.
This year it congregated 30 legal practitioners and 60 Judges who sought to have an honest discussion on the challenges that affect access to justice in Zimbabwe in an attempt to seek practical solutions to these challenges for greater access.
The Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, and the President of the Law Society Mrs Vimbai Nyemba, in their opening remarks both highlighted the importance of this dialogue platform to justice delivery in Zimbabwe.
They both noted how the colloquium has over the years contributed towards the construction of bridges between the bar and the bench and the doing away of hostilities for the betterment of Justice delivery.
Nov 26, 2015
Myanmar’s Parliament must abolish or extensively amend its criminal defamation laws to ensure the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said the ICJ today.
Criminal defamation laws in Myanmar impose harsh sanctions, such as imprisonment, to punish free expression.
The prospect of arrests, detentions, criminal trials and prison time could chill the exercise of free expression of opinions and exchange of information.
The ICJ, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (which monitors and supervises States’ compliance with their international human rights obligations), the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression and other international human rights authorities and an increasing number of governments consider that criminal defamation laws should be abolished, as they are incompatible with the right to freedom of expression and opinion.
Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution provides for the protection of freedom of expression but sets out broad and ambiguous restrictions that limit the enjoyment of these rights.
In addition, the judiciary of Myanmar currently struggles to adjudicate such criminal defamation cases with impartiality and competence.
The result is that enforcement of the defamation laws can result in violations of a number of international laws and standards protecting human rights, and also could have an overall chilling effect on the freedom of opinion and expression in the country.
Just last month, three people faced criminal defamation charges and were detained pending trial for posting material on Facebook that allegedly defame either the Myanmar army or a political leader.
- Kachin activist Patrick Kum Jaa Lee was arrested in Yangon for allegedly posting a Facebook post showing someone stepping on a photo of an army Commander-in-Chief Senior General;
- Chaw Sandi Tun was arrested for a Facebook post pointing out that an army official was wearing clothes of a similar colour to those of then opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and
- Maung Saungkha was arrested for allegedly posting a poem on Facebook he had written about having a tattoo of the President on his penis. His next hearing at Shwepyithar Township has been scheduled for tomorrow.
The ICJ is monitoring some of these trials to assess their compliance with international laws and standards. In one such trial, involving Patrick Kum Jaa Lee, the accused has been denied bail for the fifth time this week despite his ailing health.
The laws used to charge and detain the accused are the Electronic Transaction Law, specifically under provision 34(d), the Myanmar Telecommunications Law, specifically under provision 66(d), and Article 500 of the Penal Code.
Download the full paper here:
Myanmar-Criminal Defamation Laws-Advocacy-Position paper-2015-ENG (in PDF)
Myanmar-Criminal Defamation Laws-Advocacy-Position paper-2015-BUR (Burmese version, in PDF)
Nov 25, 2015 | Incidencia
AI y la CIJ apoyan la propuesta de creación de una Comisión Bicameral de la Verdad, la Memoria, la Justicia, la Reparación y el Fortalecimiento de las Instituciones de la Democracia en el país.
Esta comisión tratará de identificaciar las complicidades económicas y financieras en relación con violaciones de los derechos humanos y crímenes de derecho internacional cometidas durante la última dictadura militar, entre 1976 y 1983.
El trabajo de esta Comisión puede ser una contribución muy importante a la obtención de la verdad, justicia y reparación para las víctimas de la dictadura y sus cómplices económicos.
Sin embargo, esta iniciativa no debe reemplazar ni dilatar la actividad de la justicia ordinaria.
Argentina-Declaracion conjunta AI ICJ Complicidad economica-Advocacy-2015-SPA (en PDF)
Nov 25, 2015 | Advocacy
AI y la CIJ apoyan la propuesta de creación de una Comisión Bicameral de la Verdad, la Memoria, la Justicia, la Reparación y el Fortalecimiento de las Instituciones de la Democracia en el país.
Esta comisión tratará de identificaciar las complicidades económicas y financieras en relación con violaciones de los derechos humanos y crímenes de derecho internacional cometidas durante la última dictadura militar, entre 1976 y 1983.
El trabajo de esta Comisión puede ser una contribución muy importante a la obtención de la verdad, justicia y reparación para las víctimas de la dictadura y sus cómplices económicos.
Sin embargo, esta iniciativa no debe reemplazar ni dilatar la actividad de la justicia ordinaria.
Argentina-Declaracion conjunta AI ICJ Complicidad economica-Advocacy-2015-SPA (full text in PDF)
