Oct 6, 2017 | Advocacy, Cases, Legal submissions
The ICJ and other human rights organisations intervened before the European Court of Human Rights in a case challenging the returns of migrants and refugees from Greece under the EU-Turkey deal.
The ICJ, the AIRE Centre, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles and the Dutch Council for Refugees have submitted a third party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in the case of J.B. v. Greece. The case concerns the decision of Greek authorities to return a Syrian refugee to Turkey under the legal assumption that Turkey is a safe third country for refugees, that has been introduced following the EU-Turkey deal reached in reaction to the “refugee crisis”.
The interveners challenge the implementation of the rule of safe third country in these situations with regard to Greece’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Specifically, the intervention focuses on:
- The principle of non-refoulement under the ECHR;
- The safe third country concept in international refugee law and EU law;
- The respect of the right to an effective remedy in cases of returns to Turkey under the safe third country rule.
Greece-JB_v_Greece-ECtHR-amicus-ICJ&others-final-eng-2017 (download the intervention)
Oct 5, 2017 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
Today, the ICJ made a submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Azerbaijan.
The submission brings to the attention of the members of the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the UPR issues concerning:
- Azerbaijan’s legislation governing the legal profession;
- the situation of lawyers in practice;
- the lack independence of the legal profession;
- the role of the Bar Association with regard to attacks on lawyers;
- international human rights instruments.
With respect to each of the above-mentioned concerns, the ICJ calls upon the Working Group on the UPR and the Human Rights Council to make a number of recommendations to the authorities of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan-UPR-Advocacy-non-legal submissions-2017-ENG (download the submission)
Oct 4, 2017 | Новости, Статьи
Сегодня МКЮ заявила о том, что власти Таджикистана должны принять срочные меры по обеспечению защиты Бузургмехра Ёрова, адвоката, отбывающего 28- летний срок лишения свободы в результате осуждения по явно ненадлежащему обвинению, связанному с защитой его доверителей.
Как стало известно МКЮ, Бузургмехр Ёров подвергается действиям, которые являются пытками и иными видами жестокого обращения.
Компетентные органы власти должны обеспечить незамедлительное прекращение жестокого обращения, а также безотлагательное и тщательное расследование независимым органом жалоб на нарушение прав Бузургмехра Ёрова.
Все виновные в нарушении его прав должны быть привлечены к ответственности и суду, как этого требует законодательство Таджикистана, а также международно-правовые договоры в области прав человека, участником которых является Таджикистан.
Бузургмехр Ёров был задержан два года назад, 28 сентября 2015 г., по обвинению в «мошенничестве» и «подделке документов».
Впоследствии ему было предъявлено обвинение в нарушении еще трех статей Уголовного кодекса, в том числе в связи с предположительными «публичными призывами к экстремистской деятельности».
6 октября 2016 г. Суд города Душанбе приговорил Ёрова к 23 годам лишения свободы с отбыванием наказания в колонии строгого режима.
В марте этого года Ёров получил дополнительный срок лишения свободы на 2 года за «неуважение к суду и оскорбление представителя власти».
В августе 2017 г. он получил еще три года лишения свободы по обвинению в «оскорблении президента».
27 сентября 2017 г. Хуринисо Ишокова, мать Бузургмехра Ёрова, впервые за девять месяцев получила разрешение на свидание с сыном в следственном изоляторе.
После встречи с сыном она заявила о том, что на протяжении всего срока содержания под стражей он систематически подвергался избиениям со стороны сотрудников учреждения, которые еще более участились за последний месяц.
Она также заявила о том, что в какой-то момент в ходе содержания под стражей Бузургмехр Ёров был помещен в больницу при следственном изоляторе.
Там он проходил лечение в течение нескольких дней, после чего вернулся в изолятор, где избиения возобновились. По словам матери, избиения сопровождаются оскорблениями, унижением и угрозами.
Также сообщается о том, что за последнее время Бузургмехра Ёрова трижды помещали в карцер на несколько дней.
28 сентября 2017 г. начальник следственного изолятора опроверг утверждения о том, что Бузургмехр Ёров подвергается пыткам и иным видам жестокого обращения.
Справочная информация:
МКЮ неоднократно выражала серьезную обеспокоенность в связи с задержанием и осуждением Бузургмехра Ёрова и других адвокатов в Таджикистане.
МКЮ обеспокоена тем, что осуждение Бузургмехра Ёрова может быть ответной мерой за его участие в процессе по громким политическим делам, по которым он представлял интересы тринадцати лидеров Партии исламского возрождения Таджикистана.
https://www.icj.org/ru/таджикистан-суд-приговорил-адвокато
https://www.icj.org/ru/таджикистан-задержание-адвоката-под
https://www.icj.org/ru/таджикистан-мкю-обеспокоена-арестом
Таджикистан является участником Международного пакта о гражданских и политических правах (МПГПП) и Конвенции ООН против пыток (КПП), которые предусматривают абсолютный запрет пыток и иных видов бесчеловечного и унижающего достоинство обращения, а также устанавливают обязанность государства провести независимое, тщательное и безотлагательное расследование в отношении жалоб на жестокое обращение и привлечь к ответственности виновных в пытках.
В соответствии с Основными принципами ООН, касающимися роли юристов, юристы не должны подвергаться «судебному преследованию и судебным, административным, экономическим или другим санкциям за любые действия, совершенные в соответствии с признанными профессиональными обязанностями, нормами и этикой, а также угрозам такого преследования и санкций» (принцип 16(c)).
Yorov_statement_rus (PDF на русском)
Oct 4, 2017 | News
Tajikistan should take urgent action to ensure the protection of Buzurgmehr Yorov, a lawyer serving a 28-year sentence in prison, following his conviction being based on clearly improper charges related to the defense of his clients, the ICJ said today.
The ICJ is aware that Bugurgmehr Yorov has been subjected to acts amounting to torture or other ill-treatment.
The responsible authorities must ensure that such ill-treatment immediately ceases and that allegations that Buzurgmehr Yorov’s rights that have been violated are promptly and thoroughly investigated by an independent body.
Anyone responsible for violations of his rights must be held accountable and brought to justice, as required under Tajikistan law as well as international human rights treaties to which Tajikistan is a party.
Buzurgmekhr Yorov was arrested two years ago on 28 September 2015, on charges of “fraud” and “forgery of documents.”
Later, he was accused of violating three more articles of the Criminal Code, including in relation to alleged “public calls for extremist activity.”
On 6 October 2016, The Dushanbe City Court sentenced Yorov to 23 years imprisonment in a strict regime prison.
In March this year, Yorov was sentenced to an additional two years’ deprivation of liberty for “contempt of court and insulting the representative of power.”
In August 2017, he received a further three years sentence on charges of “insulting the president.”
On 27 September 27 2017, Hurinniso Ishokova, mother of Buzurgmehr Yorov, obtained permission to visit her son in a pre-trial detention facility, for the first time in nine months.
Following the visit, she alleged that her son had been systematically beaten by prison staff during the whole period of his detention, and that in the last month the beatings had intensified.
She also said that at an unspecified time during his detention Buzurgmehr Yorov had been admitted to the hospital at the pre-trial facility.
After several days of treatment, he was again sent back and the beatings by prison staff resumed.
According to his mother, these beatings were accompanied by insults, humiliation and threats. Reportedly, on three recent occasions Buzurgmkhar Yorov was placed in a punishment cell for several days.
On September 28, 2017 the head of the pre-trial facility rejected all claims that Buzurgmkhar Yorov had been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.
Background:
The ICJ has, on a number of occasions, expressed its serious concerns over the arrest and conviction of Buzurgmehr Yorov and other lawyers in Tajikistan.
The ICJ is concerned that Buzurgmehr Yorov’s conviction may constitute a reprisal for his defense work in high-profile political trials in connection with his representation of thirteen leaders of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
See:
https://www.icj.org/tajikistan-long-prison-sentences-for-lawyers-endangers-the-fairness-of-the-justice-system/
https://www.icj.org/tajikistan-arrest-of-lawyer-raises-concern-over-reprisals-for-defense-of-clients/
https://www.icj.org/tajikistan-icj-concerned-at-arrest-of-lawyer/
Tajikistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Convention against Torture (CAT) both of which enshrine the absolute prohibition on torture or other cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, and require that allegations of such ill-treatment should be subject to independent, thorough and prompt investigation, and that perpetrators of crimes of torture should be brought to justice.
According to UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, lawyers “shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics.” (Principle 16(c)).
Yorov_statement_rus (Russian translation – pdf)
Oct 4, 2017 | Agendas, Events, News
Today starts a five-day Strategic Litigation Retreat for lawyers in Ferney-Voltaire, France organized by the ICJ-EI as part of the EU and OSI funded FAIR project.
Twenty lawyers from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Malta and Spain will be meeting with experts and among themselves in order to strategize about their cases of access to justice for migrant children and on accessing international human rights mechanisms.
The retreat is taking place from 4 to 8 October in a close proximity to Geneva, which allows for access to UN treaty bodies experts.
The group will meet with Members of the UN Committee on the rights of the child and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and experts from the treaty bodies’ secretariat on individual complaints and on inquiries.
The participants will also have a chance to discuss litigation strategies with experts from the European Court for Human Rights, experts from civil society organizations with long-standing experience in strategic litigation, such as the AIRE Center, ICJ, DCI Belgium or Child Rights Connect.
All the participating lawyers took part in the national trainings organized, through 2016 and 2017, by the ICJ and its national partners.
The trainings were focused on the right to be heard and procedural rights of migrant children, the right to family life, economic, social and cultural rights, detention and on how to access international human rights mechanisms in order to allow for effective access to justice for migrant children.
Out of all the participants, this Strategic Litigation Retreat, brings together three selected lawyers from each of the national trainings.
In the same time, the project management group of the FAIR project, composed of national partners and Child Rights Connect will meet and will contribute to some parts of the Retreat.
The Retreat will use as a basis the draft training materials prepared by the ICJ (to be published an the end of 2017) and the ICJ Practitioners Guide no. 6: Migration and International Human Rights Law.
The FAIR project co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union and OSIFE.
See more information about the national trainings on the rights of migrant children within the FAIR project here: Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, Greece, Ireland, Germany (photo)
Download the agenda here: Universal-StrategicLitigationRetreat-News-Events-Agendas-2017-ENG
