International Commission of Jurists
ICJ joins in call for attention to deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt

ICJ joins in call for attention to deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt

Oct 22, 2014

The ICJ today joined a call with six other international NGOs for members and observers of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to pay special attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt ahead of and following the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Egypt.

The HRC Working Group on the UPR will, on 5 November 2014, be undertaking a review of the human rights situation in Egypt. This comes at a critical time for human rights, freedoms and independent Egyptian civil society, including rights defenders and democracy activists. Noting that the Government of Egypt has reaffirmed a deadline for 10 November 2014 for all civil society organisations to register with the Government under the highly repressive Law on Associations, the ICJ and others called on members and observers of the HRC to, at a minimum, address several key issues, including:

  • Threats against human rights defenders and civil society organisations and activists;
  • The need for new legislation to guarantee freedom of assembly through a transparent and simple notification process;
  • The need for judicial investigations into the ordering and carrying out of unlawful killings in the course of suppressing mainly peaceful protests;
  • Respect for and non-interference with the independence of the judiciary;
  • The need for immediate and unconditional release of persons detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association; and
  • The need to immediate end the use of torture and other ill-treatment.

Egypt-UPR-OpenLetter-2014-EN (download open letter in PDF)

Urgent request for a United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) Special Session on accountability for grave and widespread human rights violations in Libya

Urgent request for a United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) Special Session on accountability for grave and widespread human rights violations in Libya

Oct 15, 2014

The ICJ has joined other non-governmental organisations to urge the HRC and its members to support a Special Session on Libya.

The aim is to establish a Commission of Inquiry or a similar mechanism to investigate individual criminal responsibility for serious abuses and violations of international human rights and violations of humanitarian law by all sides in this country.

Since May 2014, violent clashes between rival armed groups have intensified and developed into armed conflicts across Libya.

Parties to these conflicts have been responsible of grave and widespread violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

These include direct and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, unlawful killings, abductions, forced displacement of civilians, torture and other ill-treatment and arbitrary detentions.

Libya-HRC Special session on accountability and HR violations-Advocacy-Open letters-2014-ENG (full text in PDF)

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