Oct 14, 2013
The ICJ has submitted to the Committee against Torture comments in advance of its consideration of the Second Periodic Report of Kyrgyzstan under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).
The ICJ submission focuses on concerns about the implementation by Kyrgyzstan of Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 of the CAT concerning:
a) failure to prevent torture and other ill-treatment of persons in detention;
b) application of the definition of the crime of torture and its implications;
c) failure to ensure and respect the right of detainees of access to a lawyer;
d) failure to ensure independent, impartial and thorough investigation of acts of torture and other ill-treatment; and
e) failure to respect the prohibition of the use of evidence obtained under torture or other ill-treatment.
Finally, the submission addresses the failure of the authorities to ensure reparation to victims of torture and other ill-treatment, including that which should result from findings of violations by UN treaty bodies.
Kyrgyzstan- CAT51-Legal submission-2013 (download the submission in pdf)
Oct 10, 2013
Today, the International Commission of Jurists and the Open Society Justice Initiative submitted a third party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Gîrleanu v. Romania.
Marian Gîrleanu was journalist fined for having been in information considered confidential by the Romania state authorities concerning international involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The information was never published. In their intervention, the ICJ and OSJI submit that sanctions for unauthorized possession or disclosure of information by journalists and other similarly protected persons may seriously impair their rights under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights right to receive and impart information, and may only be applied in very exceptional circumstances. The two human rights organizations stress that it is the State, not journalists, that is responsible for the protection of government information. Journalists and other who perform a public watchdog function that is fundamental to a democratic to a democratic society may not be subject to sanctions for possession or disclosure in the public interest of information.
ECtHR-ThirdPartyIntervention-Girlenau-Romania-2013 (Read the third party intervention)
Oct 2, 2013
Amnesty International and the ICJ comment on the case of three asylum seekers in the Netherlands who say the criminalisation of who they are puts them at risk of being persecuted in their country of origin.
Following Advocate General Sharpston’s Opinion in the case of X, Y and Z v Minister voor Immigratie, Integratie en Asiel (C‑199/12, C‑200/12 and C‑201/12) pending before the Court of Justice of the European Union, in these observations Amnesty International and the ICJ assert that when the criminalization of same-sex acts or conduct provides the possibility of imprisonment upon conviction it would per se give rise to a well-founded fear of persecution irrespective of evidence of recent enforcement.
Europe-Observations by AI and ICJ on X, Y and Z CJEU-analysis brief-2013 (full text in pdf)
Photo: ec.europa.eu
Sep 26, 2013 | News
The ICJ today expressed grave concern over the shooting of a Supreme Court judge of Dagestan and his son.
The ICJ calls on the federal and local authorities to ensure prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigation of the shooting of Judge Mukhtar Shapiyev (photo) and his son.
Those reasonably suspected of responsibility for this crime should be identified and brought to justice in fair and transparent proceedings, where the rights of all the parties, including the victims and the accused are respected.
The ICJ recalls that Mukhtar Shapiyev is the third judge to be killed in Dagestan this year.
On 15 January, Magomed Magomedov, a Supreme Court judge of Dagestan, was shot and died as a result of the attack and, on 9 March, federal judge Akhmed Radzhabov, was shot to death near his house.
“When judges’ security is not guaranteed, and when they face a real and constant risk to their lives, the justice system and the very rule of law are undermined,” Temur Shakirov, Legal Adviser of the ICJ Europe Programme, said. “The UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary clarify that it is the obligation of the State to ensure that those who are entrusted with the power to take judicial decisions are effectively protected.”
Reports indicate that Mukhtar Shapiyev and his son, Kamil Shapiyev, were shot at by at least two persons near their home in the capital Makhachkala at about 20:45 on Wednesday 25 September. Both victims later died in hospital.
Judge Shapiyev previously worked as the Prosecutor of one of the districts in Dagestan. In January 2012, he was appointed as a Supreme Court judge of Dagestan and worked in the collegium on civil cases.
Urgent measures, which the ICJ calls for to guarantee that the security of judges in Dagestan is effectively protected, include ensuring effective security against attempts on their lives and lives of their family members.
CONTACTS
Róisín Pillay, Director, ICJ Europe Programme, roisin.pillay(a)icj.org
Temur Shakirov, Legal Adviser, ICJ Europe Programme, temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Russia-Judge killed in Dagestan-news-web story-2013-rus (full text in pdf)
Sep 26, 2013 | Новости, Статьи
Международная комиссия юристов (МКЮ) выразила сегодня серьезную озабоченность относительно расстрела судьи Верховного суда Дагестана и его сына.
МКЮ призывает федеральные и местные власти обеспечить быстрое, независимое, беспристрастное и тщательное расследование убийства.
Лица, обоснованно подозреваемые в совершении этого преступления, должны быть выявлены и привлечены к ответственности в рамках справедливого и прозрачного процесса, где соблюдаются права всех сторон, в том числе потерпевших и обвиняемых.
МКЮ напоминает, что Мухтар Шапиев является третьим по счету судьей, убитым в Дагестане в этом году.
15 января Магомед Магомедов, судья Верховного суда Дагестана , был ранен, а затем скончался в результате нападения, а 9 марта федеральный судья Ахмед Раджабов был застрелен недалеко от своего дома .
“В отсутствии гарантий безопасности судей, когда последние сталкиваются с реальным и постоянным риском для жизни, подрывается система правосудия, равно как и верховенство закона”, – заявил Тимур Шакиров, правовой советник программы МКЮ по Европе. “Основные принципы ООН, касающиеся независимости судебных органов, закрепляют, что обязанностью государства является обеспечение того, чтобы лица , которым вверено право принимать судебные решения, были эффективно защищены”.
Согласно полученной информации, Мухтар Шапиев и его сын Камиль Шапиев были расстреляны по крайней мере двумя лицами возле своего дома в Махачкале около 20:45 в среду, 25 сентября. Оба пострадавших от нападения позже скончались в больнице.
Судья Шапиев ранее работал прокурором одного из районов в Дагестане. В январе 2012 года он был назначен судьей Верховного суда Дагестана и работал в коллегии Суда по гражданским делам.
Неотложные меры, к принятию которых призывает МКЮ с тем, чтобы эффективно гарантировать безопасности судей в Дагестане, включают обеспечение действенной защиты от покушений на их жизнь и жизнь членов их семей.
Контакты:
Роушин Пиллей, директор Региональной программы МКЮ по Европе, roisin.pillay(a)icj.org
Тимур Шакиров, правовой советник Региональной программы МКЮ по Европе, temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Russia-Judge killed in Dagestan-news-web story-2013-rus (полный текст на русском, PDF)
