Oct 2, 2012 | News
The Jury of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) selected the Venerable Luon Sovath as the 2012 Martin Ennals Award winner. The Prize winner was announced at a ceremony in Geneva.
The Venerable Luon Sovath, a Buddhist monk from Siem Reap, Cambodia witnessed his family and fellow villagers being forcibly evicted from their homes in 2009. Since then he has been a strong advocate against forced evictions, which remove families from their homes, often violently and little or no compensation.
Despite threats to his person, of arrest and disrobing, the Venerable Sovath, a non-violent Buddhist monk, uses videos, poems and songs to defend the right to housing. His advocacy touches powerful economic interests. The threats against the Venerable Sovath are very real.
Venerable Sovath was selected from among three final Nominees (see video presentation at the end of this article). Also nominated was Nasrin Sotoudeh, an Iranian Lawyer serving a 6 year prison sentence in Iran for her Human Rights work. She is known particularly for her work on behalf of women and children’s rights, especially juveniles facing execution. The third nominee is the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, who report widely on human rights abuses in Bahrain. Many of their key staff are currently imprisoned for their work.
The New Chair of the Martin Ennals Foundation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, the former Swiss President and Foreign Minister said: “This year’s novel format with three nominees made the Jury’s decision particularly difficult. As a Buddhist monk, Venerable Sovath has managed to raise wider attention to the issue of forced evictions in Cambodia”
The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) is a unique collaboration among ten of the world’s leading human rights organizations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide.
The Jury is composed of the following NGOs: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture, Front Line, International Commission of Jurists, German Diakonie, International Service for Human Rights and HURIDOCS.
Previous laureates : Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera (2011) Muhannad Al-Hassani, Syria, Emad Baghi, Iran; Mutabar Tadjibaeva, Uzbekistan; Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, Burundi and Rajan Hoole-Kopalasingham Sritharan, Sri Lanka; Akbar Ganji, Iran and Arnold Tsunga, Zimbabwe; Aktham Naisse, Syria; Lida Yusupova, Russia; Alirio Uribe Muñoz, Colombia; Jacqueline Moudeina, Chad; Peace Brigades International; Immaculée Birhaheka, DR Congo; Natasha Kandic, Yugoslavia; Eyad El Sarraj, Palestine; Samuel Ruiz, Mexico; Clement Nwankwo, Nigeria; Asma Jahangir, Pakistan; Harry Wu, China.
Patrons of the Martin Ennals Award: Asma Jahangir, Barbara Hendricks, José Ramos-Horta, Adama Dieng, Leandro Despouy, Louise Arbour, Robert Fulghum, Irene Khan, Theo van Boven and Werner Lottje†.
Contact: Michael Khambatta, t: +41 79 474 8208; e-mail: khambatta(at)martinennalsaward.org or visit www.martinennalsaward.org
Video presentation of the three nominees: Luon Sovath (Cambodia), Nasrin Sotoudeh (Iran), Bahrain Center for Human Rights (Bahrain)
Oct 1, 2012 | Адвокаси, Юридические заявления
Николай Алексеев был осужден под новым запретом гомосексуальной пропаганды, и в настоящее время оспаривает конституционность закона. МКЮ подала справку Amicus.
Активист был арестован и оштрафован за одиночный пикет с плакатом, который цитировал Советскую актрису: «Гомосексуализм – не извращение. Извращение – это хоккей на траве и балет на льду».
Анализ МКЮ заявляет, что Санкт-Петербургский закон нарушает право на свободу выражения, гарантированное как МПГПП, так и Европейской конвенции о правах человека. Запрет на гомосексуальную пропаганду не только нечеткий, но не является небходимым для достижения законной цели и не соразмерен ей, и устанавливает дискриминацию на основании сексуальной ориентации.
Дело в настоящее время находится на рассмотрении. Слушание, назначенное на 27 сентября 2012 года, было отложено из-за отказа одного из судей.
Для получения дополнительной информации о запретах гомосексуальной пропаганды, см. Брифинг ILGA-Eвропа МКЮ.
Russia-homosexual propaganda ban challenged-ICJ Amicus Brief-2012-ru (полный текст, PDF)
Sep 30, 2012
In seguito ai seminari tenuti a Milano e Roma lo scorso settembre, l’ICJ ha pubblicato il 7 dicembre 2012 una raccolta di giurisprudenza e normativa internazionale relativa ai diritti dei migranti e richiedenti asilo.
Questa opera è una raccolta di giurisprudenza internazionale, correlata dalle relative norme del diritto pattizio, e dedicata a specifici temi del diritto internazionale dei diritti umani sull’immigrazione ed il diritto di asilo. Essa permette all’operatore del diritto di accedere direttamente, direttamente in italiano, alle fonti del diritto internazionale, alle sentenze chiave dei meccanismi di protezione internazionale dei diritti umani ed alle norme relative. La traduzione è ufficiosa e si rimanda al testo originale per ogni citazione ufficiale.
Lo scopo di questo lavoro è di servire da strumento pratico per l’operatore del diritto nel lavoro di tutti i giorni. La raccolta è anche uno strumento indispensabile in seminari di formazione ed aiuta a restare al passo con la giurisprudenza internazionale in costante evoluzione. Tale collezione raccoglie argomenti mirati, relativi ai diritti dei migranti, e verrà aggiornata, e gli argomenti espansi, attraverso il tempo.
Infine, occorre ricordare che il presente compendio é un complemento della guida per operatori del diritto dell’ICJ numero 6 intitolata L’immigrazione e la normativa internazionale dei diritti umani, disponibile gratuitamente sul nostro sito.
Casescollection-training-migration-ita-2012 (scarica la raccolta cliccando sul link)
Photo credit: © Commissione Europea (la Commissione Europea non ha nessun coinvolgimento in, né sostiene questa pubblicazione)
Sep 29, 2012 | News
During three days, from September 26 to 28, 2012 in Rabat, the ICJ ESCR Programme and the MENA Regional Programme organized two events in collaboration with the OMDH (Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains).
ICJ Commissioner Mr. Roberto Garreton supported the three-day programme. The first two days were dedicated to a workshop gathering 30 representatives of human rights NGOs, service providers, consumer protection groups, lawyers and academic experts.
The participants were trained and had discussions on the opportunities, the challenges and the remedies that the Moroccan legal and institutional framework offers to individuals and groups seeking justice for violations.
Discussions also concerned the legal reforms undertaken in the country and how they will impact the ability for victims of human rights violations to access justice.
The participants particularly welcomed the workshop setting and focus that brought together a variety of groups working in relevant areas.
On the third day, 28 September 2012, a symposium attended by civil society actors, lawyers and academia as well as by members of the judiciary and of the Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme was the opportunity to discuss the role of judges in the realization of economic, social and cultural rights.
The two events are part of a project that will involve further research and consultation on access to justice for ESCR in close collaboration with national civil society.
Background of the Workshop
With national projects such as the one in El Salvador, the ICJ programme on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights aims at contributing to improve accountability for human rights violations and access to justice for all, including for victims of threats against and violations of economic, social and cultural rights.
The ICJ has embarked on research processes at national level to identify obstacles and opportunities for access to justice, as well as on consultation and collaboration processes with national allies to define strategies to address gaps.
Depending on the needs identified, the ICJ will support the implementation of recommendations and steps that includes trainings and legal interventions.
