Feb 28, 2020 | News
The ICJ and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) urge the Turkish Council of Judges and Prosecutors (CJP) to stop their investigation into the three judges of the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court who, on 18 February 2020, acquitted the defendants in the Gezi Park trial due to a lack of evidence.
According to a statement from 30 Turkish bar associations, the sole reason for the investigation was the acquittal in the Gezi Park trial. The Council of Judges and Prosecutors, the body of self-governance of the judiciary, has the power to launch and take disciplinary action against judges, including disciplinary proceedings leading to removal from office.
“The launch of such an investigation is a further sign of the grave decline of the rule of law in Turkey”, said Massimo Frigo, Senior Legal Adviser for the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme “The disciplinary proceedings against these judges appear to be a direct interference in their decision-making power and will have a chilling effect on the independence of all members of the judiciary.”
“The role of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors should be to protect the independence of the judiciary – not to be an instrument of control and pressure against individual judges” said Massimo Frigo.
IBAHRI Co-Chair, the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, commented: “The IBAHRI and the ICJ jointly welcomed the acquittal of Osman Kavala and the other 15 defendants. Now, we condemn the re-arrest of Mr Kavala, continue to stand with the defendants, and call for Mr Kavala’s immediate release. We implore the Turkish Council of Judges and Prosecutors to reconsider the hugely damaging impact their inspection of the judges will have on the principles of judicial independence and the rights of lawyers, and to cease all action in this respect.”
The launch of this investigation occurred immediately after the acquittals in the Gezi trial, spurred by the vehement public protests by President Erdogan against the verdict.
30 Turkish Bar Associations have issued a statement calling for the resignation of the members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and considered this investigation as a violation of the principle of judicial independence under the Turkish Constitution.
Background
The defendants in the Gezi trial – with the exception of those not present in Turkey who will be tried separately – were acquitted on 18 February for lack of evidence. The ICJ and IBAHRI welcomed the acquittal after having observed all hearings of the trial. The very evening of the verdict, one of the defendants, Osman Kavala, was re-arrested on suspicion of “attempting to disrupt the constitutional order” connected to the failed coup attempt of 2016.
Osman Kavala has been in detention since 18 October 2017 pending trial on charges connected to the Gezi Park protests. The Gezi Park protests began in May 2013 as an effort by a group of environmentalists to save a park in central Istanbul from being rezoned, but soon grew into nationwide demonstrations. Police quelled the protest in Taksim Square with the use of tear gas and water cannons.
Contact:
Massimo Frigo, ICJ Senior Legal Adviser – e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org – t: +41229793805
Feb 27, 2020 | Events, News
On 2 March, the ICJ and other NGOs will present discussion of the situation for human rights in India at a side event to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The event takes place Monday 2 March 2020, 14:00 – 15:00, in Room VII, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
In India, human rights defenders and civil society activists are facing escalating levels of harassment and restrictions. The systematic use of restrictive laws against critics and an ongoing clampdown on public gatherings and internet freedom now go beyond Jammu and Kashmir. A divisive and discriminatory citizenship law has sparked widespread protests across India. Protests against the law have been met with arbitrary arrests, excessive force and violence by the authorities, with at least 27 people killed and hundreds injured with impunity.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, this event will look at what action is needed by states, civil society and the United Nations to ensure an end to these human rights violations in the world’s largest democracy.
A flyer for the event can be downloaded here in PDF format: UN-Event-India-2019
Feb 27, 2020 | Events, News
An event at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February will highlight the continuing failure of Sri Lanka to secure justice for crimes under international law, and discuss ways forward for international efforts to fill the gap.
The event will take place 28 February 2020, 13:00 – 14:00, in Room XXIII of the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
It will be moderated by Human Rights Watch, with a short video will be followed by an interactive discussion with panelists from Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists.
A flyer for the event can be downloaded in PDF format here: HRC43 – Sri Lanka
Feb 27, 2020 | News
The ICJ today condemned the Sri Lankan Government’s announced “withdrawal” of support for the process under UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dinesh Gunawardane, formally announced the decision on 26 February at a High-Level Segment of the 43rd session of the UNHRC in Geneva.
“The Government of Sri Lanka’s refusal to implement effective measures for truth, justice, accountability and reconciliation, including as set out in the resolutions of the Human Rights Council, places it in violation of its obligations under international law,” said Frederick Rawski, ICJ’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “Holding perpetrators of human rights violations accountable at the international level now appears to be the only real option – including referral to the International Criminal Court, the creation of an ad hoc international mechanism, and the exercise of universal jurisdiction.”
Gunawardane stated that the Government of Sri Lanka would instead “achieve sustainable peace through an inclusive, domestically designed and executed reconciliation and accountability process, including through the appropriate adaptation of existing mechanisms, in line with the Government’s policy framework.”
“It is the Sri Lankan Government’s failure to initiate a credible and comprehensive approach to transitional justice in the aftermath of the war that led to the intervention of the international community in the first place,” said Rawski. “Sri Lanka’s domestic legal system has repeatedly demonstrated that it is unable to address systemic and entrenched impunity for crimes under international law perpetrated by the military and security forces,” he added.
Pronouncements by the President, on protecting military personnel from any accountability measures coupled with appointments to senior command positions individuals credibly accused of serious human rights violations indicate that the long history of impunity of security forces in Sri Lanka is set to continue.
The ICJ is deeply concerned that the Government’s official refusal to implement the UN resolutions comes at a time when the human rights situation in Sri Lanka is rapidly deteriorating. It threatens to undermine even the meagre progress made over the past few years, which albeit slow and wholly insufficient, has been primarily due to the continued engagement of the Council, OHCHR and international community. The UNHRC process is also the only forum at the global level where Sri Lankan civil society and victim groups have had the opportunity to engage openly in dialogue with the Government and other States on human rights concerns in Sri Lanka.
The validity of adopted resolutions of the Council does not depend on their acceptance by the government concerned. Reporting and discussion of Sri Lanka’s implementation or failure to implement them will take place this year and in 2021 at the Council regardless of the Government’s position.
Contact
Frederick Rawski, ICJ’s Asia Pacific Regional Director, t: +66 2 619 84 77; e: frederick.rawski(a)icj.org
Feb 19, 2020 | Comunicados de prensa, Noticias
Junto con Sizani Ngubane, de Sudáfrica, y Norma Librada Ledezma, de México, Huda era una las tres defensoras de los derechos humanos seleccionadas como finalistas para el Premio por un jurado formado por diez de las principales organizaciones de derechos humanos del mundo, incluyendo la CIJ.
La ceremonia de entrega del Premio Martin Ennals 2020, copatrocinada por la Fundación Martin Ennals y la Ciudad de Ginebra, se celebró hoy, y por primera vez en la historia del galardón, los tres finalistas son mujeres.
“Las defensoras de los derechos humanos corren los mismos riesgos que cualquier defensor de los derechos humanos, pero al ser mujeres, debido a su género están expuestas también a determinadas formas de violencia y violaciones de derechos humanos. Los defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos son sometidos a menudo a estigmatización y exclusión por líderes comunitarios, grupos religiosos, e incluso miembros de su familia”, afirma la alcaldesa de la Ciudad de Ginebra, Sandrine Salerno.
“La Fundación Martin Ennals se siente especialmente orgullosa de honrar y apoyar este año por sus logros a tres resilientes defensoras de los derechos humanos: nuestra galardonada, Huda Al- Sarari, y nuestras dos finalistas, Sizani Ngubane y Norma Librada Ledezma. Esperamos que el premio sirva para dar a conocer sus logros y crear sólidos mecanismos de protección en torno a ellas”, explica Philippe Currat, presidente de la Junta Directiva de la Fundación Martin Ennals.
“Ser defensor de los derechos humanos en Yemen es una tarea sumamente difícil, y ser mujerhace que resulte aún más ardua. En una sociedad dominada por hombres, he tenido que demostrar mi valía quizá 10 veces más que un hombre”, explica Huda.
A pesar de las amenazas, campañas de difamación y sacrificios que ella y su familia han soportado, Huda continúa estando al lado de las familias de quienes han desaparecido.
“Recibir el Premio Martin Ennals para Defensores y Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos significa muchísimo para mí. Me da una gran fuerza y valor para continuar esta lucha por la justicia”, afirma. “Creo que el Premio será de enorme importancia para llamar la atención sobre el sufrimiento constante de las víctimas de detención arbitraria, abusos y tortura en Yemen”, asegura.
Hans Thoolen, presidente del Jurado del Premio Martin Ennals, señala: “Felicitamos a Huda por la labor que ha realizado, no sólo en el contexto de la guerra civil que sufre Yemen, sino también en un país donde las mujeres luchan todavía por expresar sus derechos políticos y civiles. El legado de Huda es esencial, pues sus exhaustivas investigaciones y su búsqueda de rendición de cuentas servirán para que se haga justicia por las violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas durante el conflicto.”
Las dos finalistas del Premio Martin Ennals de este año son Sizani Ngubane (de Sudáfrica) y Norma Librada Ledezma (de México).
Sizani es una defensora de los derechos humanos que promueve el derecho de las mujeres sobre la tierra en las zonas rurales de Sudáfrica. También presta apoyo a las mujeres para que tengan acceso a la educación, y lucha por el fin de la práctica tradicional conocida como ukuthwala, consistente en el secuestro y matrimonio forzado de niñas y mujeres.
Norma es la fundadora de la organización Justicia para Nuestras Hijas. Ha ayudado a realizar más de 200 investigaciones sobre casos de feminicidio, desaparición forzada y trata de personas ocurridos en Chihuahua (México).
Las organizaciones miembro del Jurado del Premio Martin Ennals han alabado el compromiso y los enormes logros de ambas en sus respectivos países.
La Ciudad de Ginebra patrocina la ceremonia de entrega del Premio, junto con la Fundación Martin Ennals, desde 2008 como parte de su hondo compromiso con la defensa de los derechos humanos. El apoyo que presta la ciudad, por medio de su Servicio de Solidaridad Internacional, refleja su misión de promover los derechos humanos en el ámbito internacional y
El Jurado del Premio Martin Ennals está integrado por diez de las principales organizaciones de derechos humanos del mundo: la CIJ, Amnistía Internacional, la Federación Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, Human Rights First, el Sistema Internacional de Información y Documentación sobre Derechos Humanos (HURIDOCS) , el Servicio Internacional para los Derechos Humanos, Brot für die Welt (Pan para el Mundo), Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch y la Organización Mundial contra la Tortura.
Contacto
Olivier van Bogaert, Director de comunicación de la CIJ, miembro del jurado, t: +41 22 979 38 08 ; e: olivier.vanbogaert(a)icj.org
Universal-MEA2020bios-News-2019-SPA (biografías completas de las finalistas, en PDF)
Para ver la ceremonia
https://www.facebook.com/MartinEnnals/videos/2552501445008021/
