Jun 23, 2021 | Human Rights Council, News, Work with the UN
The Egyptian authorities systematically abuse “counter-terrorism” laws against human rights defenders, setting a dangerous model for other countries around the world to follow.
On 23 June, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) jointly organized an online event on the sidelines of 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to denounce Egypt’s targeting of human rights defenders through the country’s “counter-terrorism” laws.
Titled ‘Weaponizing Counter Terrorism Laws to Silence Human Rights Defenders’, the interactive online webinar aimed to highlight how the Egyptian authorities use “counter-terrorism” laws to target human rights defenders, including by placing lawyers and human rights activists on Egypt’s “terrorist list”, a recent practice resulting in serious human rights violations.
The event was moderated by Bahey Eldin Hassan, CIHRS Director, who stressed that the abuse of the “counter-terrorism” laws was not only employed against human rights defenders, and is not a phenomenon limited to Egypt.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, pointed out that repressive regimes take advantage of the lack of a globally agreed definition of terrorism when legislating for counter terrorism purposes. As a result, they get to place whomever they like under the “terrorism label” at the national level, with no meaningful oversight or penalties.
“The United Nations Security Council has taken on a massive legislative role on counter terrorism, which has given cover to and enabled State repression at the national level,” Ní Aoláin noted addressing the role of the international community.
“This is not an accident or a ‘bad apple’ problem, the misuse of counter-terrorism is embedded in the practised national legal systems,” Ní Aoláin added. “That abuse is part of the DNA of State practice in many countries.”
“We are at a pivotal moment. States must ask themselves what 20 years of abuse of counter terrorism laws have done,” Ní Aoláin urged. “It has weakened protections and made us less safe in many ways. This is a time for States to stand up and ensure pressure for change of this situation.”
Brian Dooley, Senior Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, noted that for authorities to imprison a human rights defender “with a straight face” for a long period of time, they have to use major accusations such as terrorism.
“The Egyptian authorities know that these human rights defenders are not terrorists,” Dooley said. “In most of the cases we have seen, where defenders were sentenced to ten years or more in prison, the relevant authorities use some sort of anti-terrorism, national security, or treason laws to justify putting a human rights defender away in prison for 10 or more years.”
Said Benarbia, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Director, began by naming some of the most prominent human rights defenders who remain in pre-trial detention facing “terrorism-related charges” in Egypt.
Among those Benarbia mentioned are: Alaa Abdelfattah, a blogger and a human rights activist; Mahienour al-Masri, a human rights lawyer; Mohammad al-Baqer, a lawyer and the director of the independent NGO, Adalah; and Amr Imam, a lawyer at the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.
“In most of the cases the ICJ documented human rights defenders face charges of ‘joining a terrorist group’,” but the State security prosecution has consistently failed to even name the terrorist organization or group concerned,” Benarbia said. “In most of the cases, prosecutions were initiated with the sole purpose of intimidating and silencing human rights defenders.”
Benarbia emphasized that prosecuting individuals despite a total lack of evidence to support the charges is contrary to both the Egyptian and international law and standards.
“Any country that, like Egypt, uses ‘counter terrorism’ legislation to clamp down on basic freedoms and retaliate against human rights defenders and create open-air prisons should not have a say in setting international standards on terrorism,” Benarbia added.
Human Rights Defender, Celine Lebrun Shaath, delivered a passionate statement about her husband, Ramy Shaath, an Egyptian Palestinian human rights defender who has been detained since July 2019. Shaath, who herself was deported from Egypt in the wake of her husband’s arrest, mentioned that the online event was taking place on Ramy Shaath’s birthday; the second since his imprisonment. “I would rather not be here today,” she added, lamenting what had happened to her husband.
“We do not know to what terrorist group Ramy is supposed to be belonging,” Shaath said. “He is accused of spreading ‘fake news’, but we don’t know which news or where he had spread them.”
Shaath expressed her hope that the Egyptian government would heed the call for her husband’s release and free Ramy and all the political prisoners.
“[Human Rights Defenders] should be looked at as a wealth for this country. They are the future, they are not a threat, dissent is not terrorism, dissent is a vibrant part of democracy that should be cherished and protected,” Shaath underscored.
On 12 March 2021, 31 UN Member States signed a joint declaration condemning the human rights situation in Egypt, which Finland delivered on their behalf at the Human Rights Council’s 46th session. The joint letter focused primarily on “the restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, the constrained space for civil society and political opposition, and the application of terrorism legislation against peaceful critics.”
The event was cosponsored by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights and the International Federation for Human Rights.
You can watch the entire event here.
Contact:
Said Benarbia, Director, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme, t: +41-22-979-3817; e: said.benarbia(a)icj.org
Asser Khattab, Research and Communications Officer, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme, e: asser.khattab(a)icj.org
Jun 23, 2021 | Incidencia
La CIJ y 300 organizaciones de la sociedad civil, presentaron una declaración conjunta ante el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas expresando su preocupación sobre la situación de derechos humanos en Colombia, en el marco de la presentación del informe anual de la Alta Comisionada de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos.
Aqui sigue la declaración oral conjunta:
“Gracias Sra. Presidenta,
En nombre de las varias organizaciones firmantes, agradecemos el reporte de actividades de la Alta Comisionada, particularmente sobre Colombia. La situación en el país confirma la necesidad de continuar el monitoreo y la asistencia técnica de su oficina.
A ocho semanas de las jornadas de movilización en distintas ciudades del país, los asesinatos, el uso excesivo de la fuerza, los actos constitutivos de tortura y otros malos tratos, las desapariciones forzadas, la violencia sexual, las detenciones arbitrarias y los ataques, incluidos los ciberataques contra quienes ejercen su derecho a protestar constituyen flagrantes violaciones de derechos humanos. Los abusos se producen a pesar del fallo de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, que insta a la Fuerza Pública a no actuar de manera violenta, arbitraria y sistemática durante las manifestaciones y los llamamientos de mecanismos de derechos humanos a cesar estas violaciones.
Las protestas se vinculan a reivindicaciones estructurales ligadas a los derechos humanos, incluyendo la pobreza, la desigualdad, injusticias sociales crecientes, la impunidad, el racismo sistémico y la violencia sistemática contra las personas defensoras de derechos humanos, incluyendo líderes sociales, campesinas, sindicales e indígenas y la prensa. También se deben a la falta de la plena implementación del Acuerdo de Paz de 2016.
Exhortamos al Consejo a exigir a Colombia el cese del uso de violencia y el respeto del derecho a la protesta pacífica; a que investigue de forma independiente las violaciones a los derechos humanos cometidas en este contexto; a que acepte la visita de los procedimientos Especiales y a que apoye el logro de consensos sociales en torno a las demandas estructurales.
Finalmente, solicitamos a la Alta Comisionada, que por medio del monitoreo de su oficina en Colombia, elabore un reporte sobre las violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas durante las protestas.
Gracias Sra. Presidenta.”
Jun 23, 2021 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ joined over 300 civil society organisations in a statement to the UN Human Rights Council to express deep concern about the situation of human rights in Colombia during the presentation of the annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The statement reads as follows:
“Thank you Madam President,
On behalf of the undersigned organisations, we thank the High Commissioner for her annual report, particularly on activities undertaken in Colombia. The situation in the country confirms the need for continued monitoring and provision of technical assistance by her Office
Throughout the eight weeks of mass protests that have spread to different cities throughout the country, we’ve seen killings, excessive use of force, acts amounting to torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, arbitrary detentions and attacks, including cyber-attacks against those exercising their right to protest, all of which constitute flagrant human rights violations. These violations are taking place in spite of a Supreme Court ruling ordering the security forces to refrain from acting violently and arbitrarily in a systemic manner during demonstrations, and calls by human rights mechanisms to cease these violations.
The protests are rooted in structural demands linked to the respect for human rights, and other concerns including poverty, inequality, growing social injustices, impunity, systemic racism and systematic violence against human rights defenders -including social, campesino, trade union and indigenous leaders and the press. They are also a result of the continued failure to fully implement the 2016 Peace Accord.
We urge the Council to call on Colombia to cease the use of violence and to respect the right to peaceful protest; to independently investigate human rights violations committed in this context; to accept the visit of the Special Procedures; and facilitate the building of social consensus around structural demands.
Finally, we ask the High Commissioner, through her Office in Colombia, to prepare a report on the human rights violations committed during the protests.
Thank you Madam President.”
Jun 22, 2021 | News
The Second Berlin Conference on Libya, taking place on 23 June, should focus on ensuring accountability for crimes under international law and guaranteeing that the transitional justice process is fully consistent with international law and standards as its key priorities, the ICJ said today.
هذا البيان الصحفي متوفر باللغة العربية أيضاً
“The Berlin II Conference must bring accountability to the top of the political agenda in Libya”, said Saïd Bernarbia, the ICJ MENA Director.
“The necessity to hold the 24 December elections cannot sideline the need for the Libyan authorities to hold perpetrators of crimes under international law to account and to end impunity for past and ongoing human rights abuses. Time and again experience from around the world has shown that accountability is crucial for a sustainable political solution.”
The 19 January 2020 Berlin Conference Conclusions stressed “the need to hold accountable all those who have violated provisions of international law”, and encouraged the Libyan authorities to strengthen “transitional justice institutions, including prosecution initiatives, reparations, truth-seeking and institutional reform.” A dedicated Working Group on human rights and international humanitarian law was created to implement such conclusions.
The Berlin II Conference must follow up on these commitments and give priority to ensuring that crimes under international law committed by all parties in Libya be effectively investigated with a view to holding perpetrators to account.
“The transitional justice process must be prioritized with a view to establishing the truth about past and ongoing gross human rights violations and abuses, upholding victims’ right to remedies and reparations, including by providing guarantees of non-repetition”, Benarbia said.
The Berlin II Conference should also support the work and mandate the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya established by the Human Rights Council in June 2020.
Download this press release in PDF form here.
Contact
Said Benarbia, Director, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme, t: +41-22-979-3817; e: said.benarbia(a)icj.org
Asser Khattab, Research and Communications Officer, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme, e: asser.khattab(a)icj.org
Jun 22, 2021 | Comunicados de prensa, Informes, Noticias, Publicaciones
La CIJ, en un informe que presentó hoy, afirmó que el Poder Judicial de Venezuela se ha convertido en una herramienta para que el Poder Ejecutivo controle políticamente al país, en lugar de ser un mecanismo de defensa del Estado de derecho en el país.
El informe Jueces en la cuerda floja de 58 páginas, documenta el deterioro de la independencia judicial en Venezuela debido al control y la influencia política sobre el Poder Judicial, y debido al rol que ha desempeñado el Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ) en el quebrantamiento de la independencia de los jueces en todo el país.
“La justicia es un derecho humano y es un derecho fundamental para la protección de otros derechos. Sin las garantías esenciales de independencia e imparcialidad de los jueces, no tenemos justicia. Hoy, en Venezuela, el derecho a la justicia no está garantizado, en la medida en que no tenemos un sistema de jueces independientes e imparciales”, dijo Carlos Ayala, vicepresidente de la CIJ.
El Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, controlado desde hace mucho tiempo por el Poder Ejecutivo, ha gestionado el colapso del Estado de derecho en el país, ya que más del 85% de los jueces ocupan cargos provisionales, están sometidos a presiones políticas, y reciben presiones directas para que emitan decisiones judiciales en favor del gobierno y en contra de personas defensoras de derechos humanos y disidentes políticos.
“La captura política del TSJ ha colocado a los jueces en la cuerda floja en Venezuela, haciéndolos incapaces de defender el Estado de derecho, proveer la rendición de cuentas por las numerosas y graves violaciones de derechos humanos que ocurren en el país, y proteger los derechos del pueblo venezolano”, dijo Sam Zarifi, Secretario General de la CIJ.
De esta manera, la CIJ ha recomendado a Venezuela despolitizar el Poder Judicial en general y en particular el Tribunal Supremo de Justicia. El informe también establece una serie de recomendaciones específicas para lograr estos objetivos, en particular:
- Avanzar en los procesos de nombramiento de jueces de acuerdo con las disposiciones constitucionales y las normas internacionales;
- Establecer mecanismos independientes y autónomos dentro del Poder Judicial para la selección de jueces y para el ejercicio de las funciones disciplinarias;
- Reforzar la transparencia y la responsabilidad del sistema judicial.
Asimismo, la CIJ ha hecho un llamado a las autoridades venezolanas para que cumplan con el derecho internacional de los derechos humanos y los estándares internacionales relacionados con la independencia judicial, así como con las decisiones y recomendaciones de diferentes órganos del Sistema de Naciones Unidas y del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, y para que permitan el acceso al país de procedimientos y mecanismos internacionales de derechos humanos que contribuyan a la rendición de cuentas y al restablecimiento del Estado de derecho.
La CIJ también insta al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU a mantener un mecanismo adecuado para la rendición de cuentas de las graves violaciones de derechos humanos ocurridas en el país, hasta que los fiscales, los tribunales y las cortes venezolanas sean capaces de investigar, procesar y juzgar eficazmente dichas violaciones con independencia e imparcialidad.
Contacto
Carolina Villadiego Burbano, Asesora Legal para América Latina de la CIJ. email: carolina.villadiego@icj.org
Venezuela-Judges on the tightrope-Publications-Reports-Thematic reports-2021-SPA
