Jun 11, 2014 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ, together with the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and on behalf of ARC International, today delivered an oral statement to the Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and association.
The report of the Special Rapporteur addressed challenges faced by groups at risk, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.
The statement welcomed the report by the Special Rapporteur.
It referred to the Nigerian Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act (which in fact criminalizes a much broader range of human rights-protected activities than its title would necessarily suggest), Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, and Ukraine’s draft law on “propaganda of homosexual relations”. All of these laws impede freedom of peaceful assembly of LGBTI persons. The Nigerian law also interferes with freedom of association, as it bans registration, funding and activities of “gay” organizations.
It also referred to Russia’s ban on “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”.
It emphasised the detrimental impact of such laws on the work of LGBTI human rights defenders and the activities of health care providers. It stressed that laws directly targeting the freedom of peaceful assembly or association of LGBTI individuals solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity are inconsistent with international human rights law.
UN-HRC26-AssociationLGBTI-OralStatement-advocay-non legal submission-2014 (full text in pdf)
The report of the Special Rapporteur is available here.
Jul 26, 2013 | News
The ICJ today called on the Tunisian authorities to conduct an investigation into the targeted assassination of Mohamed Brahmi, a prominent opposition figure and member of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly.
The investigation should be prompt, thorough, independent and transparent, with a view to holding the perpetrators to account.
This killing came less than six months after the assassination of another opposition figure, Chokri Belaid.
The ICJ is deeply concerned that these assassinations are part of a large campaign of intimidation against opposition figures, human rights defenders, including lawyers and judges. Many of them were subject to death threats. For example, in May 2013, Justice Kalthoum Kennou, a Tunisian judge on the Court of Cassation and ICJ Commissioner received an anonymous letter threatening her with death and ordering her to quit the judiciary.
“The Tunisian authorities must fully and promptly investigate the assassination of Mohamed Brahmi and ensure that the perpetrators are criminally held to account”, said Said Benarbia Senior Legal Advisor of the ICJ’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “Tunisian authorities must also take all effective measures to end all forms of intimidation against opposition members, human rights defenders and judges, including by ensuring their security and physical integrity”, he added.
The ICJ also called on the Tunisian authorities to respect and protect the right of individuals to peaceful assembly and refrain from any unlawful use of force against them.
Mohamed Brahmi – Press Statement (ENG – Full Text in PDF)
Apr 23, 2011 | News
The ICJ today called upon the UN Security Council to take concrete measures to ensure the immediate protection of all people whose lives are under threat by the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian security forces.
Syria-protect Syrian population against killings-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
Mar 9, 2011 | News
The new government of Nepal should respect the rights of Tibetans in Nepal to freedom of expression, assembly and association, the ICJ and other human rights groups said today. These rights are guaranteed for all persons in Nepal by international human rights treaties to which Nepal is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
