May 23, 2014
La CIJ ha publicado un informe con el fin de asegurar mayores garantías para la independencia judicial y la separación de poderes en Honduras.
La CIJ evidenció un significativo debilitamiento del Sistema Judicial después del golpe de estado contra el entonces Presidente Manuel Zelaya en el 2009.
Las principales preocupaciones observadas dentro del reporte incluyen la interferencia indebida de actores políticos, y los ataques contra jueces, periodistas y defensores de derechos humanos.
Las reformas Constitucionales y Legales iniciadas a partir del golpe de estado en 2009 no han aportado verdaderas mejoras.
La ley que rige la judicatura no satisface el cumplimiento de estándares internacionales: los jueces siguen siendo rotados arbitrariamente de sus puestos, y son destituidos de sus cargos sin que se lleven a cabo los procedimientos disciplinarios apropiados.
El derecho de asociación de los jueces no es garantizado en la práctica.
El informe presentado por la CIJ incluye recomendaciones para las autoridades y otros actores en Honduras, para asistir a Honduras en el cumplimiento de estándares internacionales relativos a los derechos humanos, la independencia judicial y el Estado de Derecho.
Estas recomendaciones consideran, entre otras cosas: reformas a los procedimientos de selección de juezas y jueces, garantizar la enseñanza y difusión de instrumentos internacionales y estándares internacionales concernientes a garantizar el Estado de Derecho, y tomar medidas encaminadas a asegurar que los jueces puedan cumplir con sus funciones sin influencias indebidas provenientes de cualquier sector de la sociedad.
El reporte examina los acontecimientos que se han producido desde un informe anterios publicado por la ICJ en el 2003.
De igual forma, se basa en las actividades e investigaciones realizadas en Honduras por el Centro de Independencia de Magistrados y Abogados de la CIJ en cooperación con la Oficina de la CIJ en Centro América.
El reporte refleja información provista por jueces, personal de la función judicial y otros actores del sistema judicial en Honduras.
Contact:
Ramón Cadena, ICJ Regional Director, Central America, t +50 22 335 3325; ramon.cadena(a)icj.org
Honduras-Independencia poder judicial-Publications-report-2014-spa (en PDF)
May 7, 2014
The ICJ issued today its Annual Report 2013, which offers a concise summary of the work carried out by the ICJ over the last year.
In 2013 the ICJ undertook over 160 advocacy interventions and, with the help of its Commissioners, carried out 11 country missions.
Through its seminars and workshops, it has provided tools to over 300 legal professionals, to use international law and the rule of law more effectively to support human rights.
This annual report does not contain an accounting of all the activities undertaken by the ICJ last year, but the selected examples are emblematic of ICJ’s work and highlight some of the most important initiatives.
ICJ Annual Report 2013 – Publications-Reports-2014 (download pdf)
Mar 28, 2014
La CIJ ha publicado un informe que analiza el sistema jurídico y judicial de Guatemala en relación con las obligaciones y responsabilidades de las empresas.
El informe se enfoca en las vías de recursos legal existentes en virtud del derecho constitucional, derecho laboral, derecho civil y derecho penal, y examina casos concretos como ejemplos de su aplicación.
El informe identifica las deficiencias estructurales, institucionales, normativas, económicas, políticas y sociales en los sistemas jurídicos y judiciales del país que dificultan el acceso a la justicia para las víctimas de abusos de los derechos humanos cometidos por los negocios.
Las limitaciones y los obstáculos para acceder a la justicia son especialmente graves en relación con los pueblos indígenas en un país donde estos han sido históricamente discriminados.
El informe recomienda un conjunto de medidas para fortalecer la independencia del poder judicial, la reforma de varias leyes, el fortalecimiento de las instituciones estatales de protección, el fomento del diálogo entre las partes interesadas y un mayor respeto a los derechos de los defensores de los derechos humanos.
Guatemala – empresas y violaciones a los derechos humanos – report – 2014-spa (Informe en PDF)
Contacto:
Carlos Lopez, Director, Business and Human Rights, carlos.lopez(a)icj.org, +41 22 979 3816
Ramón Cadena, Director, Central America, ramon.cadena(a)icj.org, +50 22 335 3325
Dec 18, 2013
Published today in Geneva the new study analyses the current state of the country’s judiciary in statutory courts and the legal profession, in light of international standards on the independence of judges and lawyers.
The 57-page report South Sudan: An Independent Judiciary in An Independent State? also makes concrete recommendations to relevant authorities in South Sudan.
The report is based on research conducted on and in South Sudan, including but not limited to a high-level fact-finding mission, a two-day National Consultation Conference on the theme of Judicial and Legal Professional Independence and Accountability, and the ICJ workshop on fair trial guarantees, all undertaken by the ICJ in Juba between September and October 2012.
The Republic of South Sudan became an independent State on 9 July 2011, after 50 years of almost continuous civil war with the North, rooted in deep cultural, ethnic and religious differences.
Since independence, South Sudanese authorities have taken some meaningful steps towards ensuring that the new-born country has institutions and a legal framework that complies with rule of law principles.
However, as far as the justice sector is concerned, significant institutional challenges remain and several gaps in the constitutional and legal order need to be addressed for South Sudan to comply with international human rights standards on the administration of justice.
Overall, the ICJ report seeks to ensure that ongoing justice reforms achieve the establishment of an independent and better-resourced statutory judiciary throughout the country, and secure the independence and competence of the legal profession, in accordance with international standards on the rule of law, human rights, the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession.
Based on its findings, the ICJ makes 40 recommendations to South Sudanese authorities pertaining to constitutional and legal reforms, South Sudan’s international human rights obligations, court structure, judicial independence in the statutory courts system, and the legal profession.
Contact:
Ilaria Vena, Associate Legal Adviser with the ICJ Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, t: +41 22 979 3827; email: ilaria.vena(a)icj.org
South Sudan-Report on independence of judiciary-publications-2013 (download in pdf)
Nov 21, 2013
The new ICJ study on access to justice for economic, social and cultural rights in Morocco was presented during a 4-day mission in this country.
The study welcomes the provisions of the 2011 Constitution that should contribute to better guarantee and protect economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR).
It also welcomes a number of recent social policies initiated to improve access to important social services and goods, especially to the benefit of disadvantaged and marginalized sectors of the Moroccan society.
But the report also identifies and describes significant gaps and issues in the normative, institutional and remedial frameworks that deprive many Moroccans from accessing justice in cases of violations of ESCR, and from enjoying their right to an effective remedy when facing such violations.
The ICJ is especially concerned at the prevalence of legal provisions that discriminate against women in areas that are fundamental to ESCR, such as inheritance, or family law.
The inaccessibility of judicial remedies for victims of violations of ESCR for procedural reasons, and the weakness of sanctions in certain cases of abuses of ESCR (for ex. in labour matters) is another area of concern.
In the coming months, the ICJ will continue to promote and discuss the findings of the study, which is the result of over a year of research and consultations on the advances and obstacles in the access to justice for alleged victims of ESCR in Morocco – a country that has initiated deep legal reforms.
Beside civil society actors, the new publication was handed over to several public authorities, including the Minister of Justice, the President of the Cour de Cassation, the Ombudsman, the President of the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament and the Secretary General of the Government.
Morocco-Access to Justice ESCR-publications-report-2013-ara (full text in Arabic, pdf)
