Apr 1, 2021
An opinion piece by Mathuri Thamilmaran, ICJ National Legal Adviser in Sri Lanka.
On 1 March 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa elicited considerable public interest through a single tweet. In his tweet commemorating Zero Discrimination Day, he declared his intent to ‘secure everybody’s right to live life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, physical appearance and beliefs’.[1]
According to reports, the tweet made history as the first public acknowledgment by a South Asian Head of State of everyone’s right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sexuality and gender, thus affirming, effectively, one’s right to live life with dignity regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. It comes at a time when the President has initiated the drafting process of a new Constitution and a first draft is expected soon.
The tweet has opened up a much-needed conversation on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) in Sri Lanka, particularly regarding the Government’s obligation to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are not discriminated against in law or practice.
As it stands, the Sri Lankan Constitution guarantees the right to equality before the law and equal protection of the law of all persons (Article 12). It also prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion and place of birth.
Notably, therefore, the Constitution does not prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression.
Sections 365 and 365A of Sri Lanka’s Penal Code (1883) criminalize “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and “acts of gross indecency”, respectively. Both sections have been used to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations, albeit the Penal Code does not provide a definition of the terms used by those sections. Those convicted of the ‘crime’ may face up to ten years’ imprisonment.
Section 399 of the Penal Code criminalizes “gender impersonation”, and has often been used against transgender persons with cases being filed against them “for misleading the public”. Further, the loitering provisions of the Vagrants Ordinance (1842) have been used to intimidate, extort, detain and interrogate individuals whose appearance do not conform to gender norms.
In addition, Article 16 of the Constitution states that ‘existing written law and unwritten law shall be valid and operative notwithstanding any inconsistency’ with the provisions of the Fundamental Rights chapter.
As a result, judicial review of existing laws, such as the Penal Code and Vagrants Ordinance, is precluded, thereby shielding the authorities from any scrutiny, including in cases that have given rise to abuse allegations. These provisions have all contributed to an increase in human rights violations by police officers against LGBT persons.
Just last year, a special investigation by a local newspaper found that inhumane methods, including flogging and anal/vaginal examinations, which amount to torture or other ill-treatment, were being used against LGBT people by Sri Lankan authorities to obtain “evidence” of same-sex sexual relations. There had also been instances where H.I.V. tests had been ordered by courts and their results publicly revealed in court, a clear violation of the right to privacy of the individuals concerned.
Following these revelations, the Minister of Justice, Hon. Ali Sabry, made an official statement that he had instructed the relevant authorities to stop such harmful practices while also reiterating his belief in non-discrimination on the basis of ‘gender, sexual preference or identity’. Further, it was reported that as recently as this month, judges were warning the police not to harass transgender persons by misusing the laws and to treat them with dignity.
In 2014, the then Sri Lankan government made representation before the UN Human Rights Committee that Article 12 of the Constitution included non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, but, as seen above, explicit provisions and application of the law seem to negate this argument.
Furthermore, in 2017, during its Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka committed to taking steps to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Since then, however, attempts to include SOGIE in the National Action Plan on Human Rights have been dropped due to opposition within the Cabinet.
Sri Lanka’s neighbours in South Asia have made progressive strides, with both India and Bhutan having decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in recent years. Bhutan’s penal code provision regarding ‘sex against the order of nature’ had been enacted only in 2004 but activism and the recognition that the law would dissuade those in same–sex relations from actively seeking treatment for H.I.V. led to the decision to decriminalize.
In 2018, the Indian Supreme Court read down section 377 of the Indian penal code which was used to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations, and stated that its application to consensual relations between LGBT persons was unconstitutional as it was in violation of certain fundamental rights, including the right to equality.
In 2018, Pakistan enacted a law recognizing the human rights of transgender people, including the right to legal recognition of one’s preferred gender identity. Among other things, the understanding that most of the discriminatory legal provisions were remnants of British colonial rule and the need to move past such influence has led to these developments.
In Sri Lanka, homophobia is primarily seen as cultural issue, but there are indications that times are changing. Sections of the media now allow more space for discussions of LGBT persons’ human rights, even covering Pride events, while a Supreme Court judgment in 2016 noted that ‘consensual sex between adults should not be policed by the state nor should it be grounds for criminalisation’.
If a discriminatory law passed as late as 2004 can be discarded by Bhutan, then surely Sri Lanka too can follow its neighbours and break free from its colonial era shackles and guarantee equality for LGBT persons.
It is time that Sri Lanka steps up to fulfil its international human rights obligations by ensuring equality to all persons, including LGBT people, and that it delivers on the expectations raised by the President’s tweet and previous public pronouncements. Last year the President appointed an ‘Expert Committee’ to undertake the drafting of a new Constitution.
The inclusion of SOGIE as prohibited discrimination grounds in the Fundamental Rights protection provided by the (new) Constitution would be a first step in fulfilling the state’s international law commitments as well as rebuilding its relationship with LGBT people.
[1] https://twitter.com/GotabayaR/status/1366258501886955526
SriLanka-SOGI discrimination-News-opeds-2021-TAM (version in Tamil)
SriLanka-SOGI discrimination-News-opeds-2021-SIN (version in Sinhala)
Apr 1, 2021 | News
The conviction of political activists Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, Jimmy Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, Leung Kwok-hung, Cyd Ho for their role in organizing public protests in 2019 delivers a massive blow to human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong, said the ICJ.
“These convictions are the latest attack on the already weakened standing of the rule of law and democracy in Hong Kong,” said Ian Seiderman, the ICJ’s Legal and Policy Director.
The defendants were convicted by West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on joint charges of organizing an unauthorized assembly under section 17A(3)(b)(i) of the Public Order Ordinance Cap. 245 and knowingly taking part in an unauthorized assembly under section 17A(3)(a) of the same Ordinance. Two other defendants, Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, pleaded guilty in February before the trial began. They face up to five years in prison. Their sentences will be handed down at a later date.
“These prosecutions and convictions constitute persecution of human rights defenders, journalist, and politicians through abusive legal process. The unauthorized assembly provisions of the Public Order Ordinance has been used to silence lawful expressions of on matters of public concern,” said Ian Seiderman.
The Hong Kong SAR, though not the rest of the People’s Republic of China, is legally bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees to the right to freedom of assembly and expression. The ICCPR continues to be in force in Hong Kong by virtue of Article 39 of the Basic Law. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has repeatedly expressed concern that charging people under the Public Order Ordinance against peaceful protesters in Hong Kong stands to violate their human rights under the ICCPR.
The ICJ has previously pointed out that imposing criminal charge on people exercising their right of peaceful assembly who fail to comply with a procedural requirement, such as notification, unduly restricts freedom of peaceful assembly by adding unnecessary barriers to public gatherings. Furthermore, the sentencing guidelines of the Ordinance, which include the possibility of a peaceful participant of a public assembly being sentenced to five years in prison if the organizers fail to comply with the notification requirement, are extreme, disproportionate and open to abuse.
Background
On 12 August 2019 the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) submitted a Notification of Intention to hold a public meeting and procession, informing the police of the intention to hold a public assembly on 18 August 2019 starting from Victoria Park and ending at Chater Road, and a second public assembly at Chater Road. The police objected to the public procession from the Park to Chater Road. The CHRF appealed against the police decision and after an appeal hearing convened by the Appeal Board on 16 August 2019, the Board upheld the police decision and dismissed the appeal lodged by CHRF.
The CHRF held a press conference on 17 August 2019 wherein they said the police had not arranged for the dispersal of crowds from Victoria Park so pro-democracy legislators and other influential activists would be assisting the crowds to disperse safely to nearby MTR stations. On 18 August 2019 during the public assembly at Victoria Park and the defendants carried a long banner out of Victoria Park Gate 17 and led a procession of people to Chater Road, Central. The route taken followed the previously proposed route of the banned public procession. The procession finished at Chater Road with the defendants laying the long banner down on the road.
Contact
Boram Jang, International Legal Adviser, Asia & the Pacific Programme, e: boram.jang(a)icj.org
See also
Mar 31, 2021
For International Transgender Day of Visibility, the ICJ launched a report setting out an overview of States’ legal obligations under the international human rights framework in relation to issues of sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity, and an analysis of the human rights situation of LGBT persons in Colombia, Malaysia and South Africa.
The 60-page report, Invisible, Isolated, and Ignored: Human Rights Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression in Colombia, South Africa and Malaysia, was launched through a discussion facilitated by The Cheeky Natives, a literary podcast, with four activists from the three countries on which the report focussed. The activists discussed the content of the report through the lens of their own experience of working with LGBT persons in the respective countries
“As a country, South Africa has possibly one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. It explicitly names sexual orientation. We recognise civil unions; we have a legal gender recognition law. On paper, we are beautiful. In practice, I think we have continuously failed to actualise these rights: access to education, access to healthcare, access to anything that is a general need for every other human being has not been the same for LGBTI people and as marginalised as LGBTI people are in the country, Trans people sit on the margins of that marginalisation,” said Akani Shimange, Director of Matimba, a South African organisation which advocates for kids and teenagers that are transgender or/and gender variant to have happy and healthy lives.
The report aims to offer an overview of different contexts and issues relevant to the respect, protection and promotion of the human rights of LGBT people through a human rights-based analysis and, in so doing, it aims to support lawyers working to enhance protection for the human rights of LGBT persons within their challenging domestic legal frameworks.
“To this day, discrimination and abuse on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity remain rampant around the world. It is important to listen to accounts of LGBT persons who constantly face criminalization, lack of acceptance and continued violence in a climate of impunity exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. This report considers these obstacles, and also makes recommendations to overcome them,” said Sam Zarifi, Secretary General of the ICJ.
The report provides support to the work of LGBT human rights defenders working on human rights issues, as well as assisting policymakers to better understand the impact of law and policy on the human rights of LGBT persons globally.
In addition, the report makes country-specific recommendations to enhance respect, protection and promotion of the human rights of LGBT persons with a view to ameliorating their lives. In Malaysia, where the laws are considerably different from the more progressive Colombian and South African legal frameworks, the recommendations mostly focused around the decriminalization of same-sex consensual conduct and abolition of all laws that criminalize sexual orientation and gender diverse identities as these laws threaten the safety and security of LGBT people and also detrimentally affect the ability of LGBT persons to exercise and enjoy their human rights without discrimination.
As for the Colombian and South African recommendations, the emphasis was on ensuring LGBT persons’ effective access to and enjoyment of existing rights, as well as conducting training programmes on the human rights of LGBT persons based on national and international human rights standards. Additionally, the report calls for programmes to raise awareness about harmful stereotypes, including the use of pejorative language, directed at LGBT persons. In particular, with respect to South Africa, the report documented the limitation on the enjoyment of human rights that have arisen as a consequence of making medical interventions and medical reports mandatory for gender marker change.
Contact
Nokukhanya (Khanyo) Farisè, Legal Adviser (Africa Regional Programme), e: nokukhanya.farise(a)icj.org
Tanveer Jeewa, Legal and Communications Officer (Africa Regional Programme), e: tanveer.jeewa(a)icj.org
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Colombia-SouthAfrica-Malaysia-SOGIE-Publications-Reports-Thematic reports-2021-ENG
Mar 31, 2021 | Новости, Пресс-релизы, Событие, Статьи
Ташкент, 25 Марта 2021 года – Сегодня Международная комиссия юристов (МКЮ), Региональное отделение Верховного комиссара ООН по правам человека (УВКПЧ) для Центральной Азии и Высшая школа судей Республики Узбекистан (ВШС) проводят заключительную конференцию по реализации международного права по экономическим, социальным и культурным правам на национальном уровне в Узбекистане. Данное мероприятие является завершающим в трехлетнем проекте «Усиление роли гражданского общества в продвижении стандартов в области экономических, социальных и культурных прав» (ACCESS), реализуемым Международной комиссией юристов при финансовой поддержке Европейского Союза.
Участники обсудят препятствия на пути к осуществлению экономических, социальных и культурных (ЭКС) прав в Узбекистане и способы усиления защиты этих прав посредством доступа к правосудию и средствам правовой защиты. Обсуждения будут направлены на усиление имплементации международного права в отношении ЭСК прав, включая права на жилище, здравоохранение и права на равную защиту в рабочем месте, а также на обеспечение того, чтобы система правосудия гарантировала эффективную защиту и средства правовой защиты в случае их нарушения.
В итоговой конференции примут участие УВКПЧ по Центральной Азии, ВШС, Ташкентский государственный юридический университет, Общенациональное движение «Юксалиш», национальные и международные эксперты.=
«Это очень важный проект, который был своевременным, но и сложным для реализации в период пандемии COVID-19. В частности, было подходящее время для повышения осведомленности об экономических, социальных и культурных правах. Проект проводится во время важных реформ правительства Республики Узбекистан, он посвящен продвижению прав человека и верховенства закона, что также является важной частью нашей Стратегии ЕС в Центральной Азии,» отметила г-жа Шарлот Адриан, Посол Европейского Союза в Республике Узбекистан.
Ришард Коменда, региональный представитель Управления ООН по правам человека в Центральной Азии отметил, что «этот проект по продвижению экономических, социальных и культурных прав в Узбекистане был и остается весьма актуальным и необходимым, в том числе для распространения правовых знаний о правах человека среди юристов и представителей гражданского общества. Реализация данного проекта в период проводимых в стране реформ и участие экспертов ООН из комитетов ООН по правам женщин (CEDAW) и по правам ребенка (CRC), делает проект особенно эффективным, уникальным и своевременным.»
«Узбекистан имеет прочную правовую основу для выполнения своих обязательств по защите экономических, социальных и культурных прав. Но для реализации вего потенциала законодательства на практике людям, чьи права нарушаются, необходим эффективный доступ к системе правосудия, а суды должны применять права, изложенные в международном праве,» – сказала Роушин Пиллэй, директор программы Европа и Центральной Азии МКЮ. «Мы рады поделиться нашими рекомендациями направленные на обеспечение экономических и социальных прав людей, гарантированных международным правом, защищены на практике, в том числе через систему правосудия. Я с нетерпением жду обсуждения с национальными и международными партнерами во время нашего заключительного мероприятия» – добавила она.
«Этот проект является ярким примером международного сотрудничества Высшей школы судей, которое полностью соответствует ее приоритетам. Безусловно, реализация международного права об экономических, социальных и культурных правах на национальном уровне в Узбекистане является одним из важнейших национальных приоритетов, что требует активного взаимодействия между государственными органами, академическими кругами и экспертным сообществом и, конечно же, сотрудничества с международными организациями» – сказал Хожи-Мурод Исаков, директор Высшей школы судей при Высшем судейском совете Республики Узбекистан.
Для получения более подробной информации, пожалуйста, свяжитесь с:
Дилфуза Куролова, Консультант Международной комиссии юристов по правовым вопросам (МКЮ),
E-mail: dilfuza.kurolova@icj.org
Программа мероприятия на русском языке.
Программа мероприятия на английском языке.
Mar 31, 2021 | News
Today, the ICJ submitted recommendations to Thailand’s Office of the Council of State concerning the Draft Act on the Operation of Not-for-Profit Organizations B.E. … (‘Draft Act’), which is scheduled for public consultation between 12 and 31 March 2021.
The ICJ urged that the Draft Act be repealed in its entirety or substantially revised in order to ensure compliance with Thailand’s international legal obligations.
The ICJ is concerned that the law, if adopted, would pose onerous and unwarranted obstacles to many civil society organizations in Thailand, including human rights NGOs, in carrying out their work. In its submission, the ICJ underscores the imprecise and overbroad language of the draft law, which would allow for abusive and arbitrary application by the Thai authorities on “Not-for-Profit Organizations” (NPOs). In particular, it provides for discriminatory restrictions on organizations that receive foreign funding.
“It is well-established in international law and standards that any registration of NPOs should be voluntary and that no law should outlaw or delegitimize activities in defence of human rights on account of the origin of funding,” said Ian Seiderman, ICJ’s Legal and Policy Director.
Violators of the Draft Act would risk having their registration revoked. The Draft Act also imposes liability of criminal punishment on those who operate without registration with imprisonment not exceeding five years or fined not exceeding 100,000 THB (approx. 3,200 USD), or both.
“In cases of registration revocation, the legal recourse available for NPOs to challenge such decisions involves lengthy and burdensome administrative and judicial proceedings, which would normally take years to reach a conclusion. Proceedings of this kind will be untenable for some organizations and will deal a fatal blow to the essential work of many human rights defenders,” said Ian Seiderman.
The Draft Act also provides sweeping powers to government authorities to monitor activities, search and seize electronic data of NPOs without any court warrant, in violation of the rights to privacy.
Background
Thailand is a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which requires States to respect and protect, inter alia, the right to freedom of association, expression, peaceful assembly, the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to privacy and the right to an effective remedy. Thailand may impose limitations on NPOs only in narrow circumstances and subject to strict conditions as set out in the ICCPR.
On 23 February 2021, Thai Cabinet approved in principle the Office of the Council of State’s proposal to enact a law aims to provide oversight on NPOs’ operations.
The draft law is currently under consideration of the Council of State for legal review. Public consultation is currently carried out by the Office, only via their online platform. Members of the public were expected to have registered any concerns about the Draft Act through the website of the Office, by post or by email, between 12 to 31 March 2021 – a considerably tight period of time.
The draft law will then be resubmitted to the Cabinet, then presented to the Parliament.
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Recommendations in English and Thai (PDF)
