Nov 27, 2013 | News
Today, the True Heroes Foundation (THF), a work partner of ICJ, launched the first-ever digest of human rights awards on www.trueheroesfilms.org.
The number of human rights awards has surged with over 50 new awards created in just the last 13 years.
The THF Digest brings together in a searchable manner 117 such awards with key information on each of them and links to their websites.
The Digest provides for the first time an overview of hereto scattered information and gives a unique tool to those who want to make nominations.
Going back over 100 years, it covers for the moment only international and regional awards. National awards are (not yet) included.
For more information on the content of the Digest (what is covered and how) read carefully the section “About the Digest” on www.trueheroesfilms.org
For additional information: jhrp.oxfordjournals.org
Nov 26, 2013 | News
The ICJ is calling on the Malaysian Government to immediately drop the criminal charge against human rights defender Lena Hendry for screening the film ‘No Fire Zone: the Killing Fields of Sri Lanka.’
The case has been fixed for case management and the defence lawyers filed an application to set aside, permanently stay or quash the charges against Lena Hendry.
“Subjecting Lena Hendry to criminal prosecution simply for screening a documentary violates her rights and contravenes Malaysia’s obligations to uphold freedom of expression,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director.
On 3 July 2013, Pusat Komas, a Malaysian human rights advocacy organization where Lena Hendry works, and Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Civil Right Committee (KLSCAH CRC) screened the film “No Fire Zone”, a documentary on the war crimes and human rights abuses allegedly committed at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009.
Immediately following the screening, 30 officers from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the police entered the hall and recorded the identity of all persons who attended the event.
The authorities then arrested Lena Hendry and two colleagues, Anna Har and Arul Prakash, and interrogated them for three hours at Dang Wangi police station.
On 19 September 2013, Lena Hendry was charged under section 6(1)(b) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for showing a film that had not been approved by the Board of Censors.
If found guilty, she could be fined up to RM30,000 (approximately USD 9,322) and sentenced to up to three years imprisonment.
“The Malaysian government told the UN Human Rights Council during its universal periodic review that it maintains a ‘strong commitment to the rule of law, to upholding respect for human rights, and…widening the democratic space”, said Sam Zarifi. “That commitment is inconsistent with prosecuting human rights defenders for disseminating documentary human rights information.”
Under international law and standards, Malaysia must respect the right to freedom of expression of all persons, including the right to seek and impart information of all kinds.
In the case of human rights defenders, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders imposes a special duty on States not only to respect this right, but also to protect those who exercise this right through their exposure of human rights violations.
The ICJ calls on the Malaysian Government to safeguard freedom of expression and uphold the right of individuals to expose and disseminate information on human rights questions, including the documentation of human rights abuses.
Nov 5, 2013 | News
The ICJ welcomes the release on 1 November of lawyer Zinaida Mukhotorova, from a psychiatric facility in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The lawyer was forcibly detained in the psychiatric facility, the “Medical Centre of the Problems of Psychiatric Health”, for almost three months.
Despite her release, the results of the psychiatric examination were said to be pending.
“While this release is welcome, the ICJ remains concerned that Zinaida Mukhotorova’s detention represented a reprisal for her legitimate exercise of her professional duties as a lawyer, in violation of her right to liberty as well as the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers,” said Róisín Pillay, Director of the ICJ Europe Regional Programme. “It must now be ensured that Zinaida Mukhotorova can challenge the legality of her detention through fair procedures, and receive appropriate measures of reparation for any violation of her human rights” she added.
Zinaida Mukhtorova was placed in the psychiatric facility on 9 August after she was forcibly taken from her house by several police officers and medical personnel.
Among the reasons given for her detention were her “possibly querulous” and “litigious” activity.
The ICJ previously raised concern that her psychiatric detention was being justified on grounds consisting in the exercise of her legitimate professional functions as a lawyer.
The ICJ continues to monitor the case, including ongoing legal challenges in the Kazakhstan courts to the lawfulness of Zinaida Mukhtorova’s detention in psychiatric facilities on this and another previous occasion.
In this regard, the ICJ calls on the government to ensure fairness of the proceedings challenging her detention.
Contact:
Róisín Pillay, Director, ICJ Europe Programme, roisin.pillay(a)icj.org
Temur Shakirov, Legal Adviser, ICJ Europe Programme, temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Kazakhstan-Mukhtorova statement-news-webstory-2013-Rus (full text in pdf)
Oct 10, 2013 | News
The ICJ calls on the Dhaka Central Jail authority to immediately process an order for bail issued for the release of Adilur Rahman Khan.
The six-month bail was ordered by the High Court of Bangladesh on 8 October 2013.
The Attorney General filed an application seeking a stay on the bail order, which was denied by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on 9 October 2013.
The bail order was signed by the required Sessions Judge and delivered to the Dhaka Central Jail in the late afternoon on 9 October 2013.
Over 24 hours later, Adilur Rahman Khan still remains in custody in the Kashimpur Jail.
“The bail order must be carried out expeditiously without undue delay or other obstruction, including by the Executive. To do so would undermine the independence of the judiciary and constitute arbitrary detention,” said Ben Schonveld, ICJ South Asia Director.
It has been two months to the day that Adilur Rahman Khan was arbitrarily detained for the lawful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, the ICJ recalls.
Under international law, notably Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Bangladesh is a party, everyone has a right to liberty and security of person.
Any detention or deprivation of liberty must be in accordance with procedures established by law.
The ICJ calls on the jail authorities to uphold the order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and immediately release Adilur Rahman Khan on bail.
CONTACT:
Sheila Varadan, ICJ Legal Advisor, South Asia Programme (Bangkok), t: +66 857200723; email: sheila.varadan(a)icj.org
Oct 8, 2013 | News
The Joint Mobile Group was selected as the 2013 Laureate Martin Ennals Award. The ICJ is one of the ten members of the jury.
The Award is given by the International Human Rights Community to Human Rights Defenders who have shown deep commitment and face great personal risk.
The aim of the award is to provide protection through international recognition.
Strongly supported by the City of Geneva, the Award was presented here today.
After the murder of several human rights activists working in Chechnya, Igor Kalyapin (photo) started the Joint Mobile Group.
To reduce the risk they send investigators on short missions to Chechnya to document Human Rights abuses.
This information is then used to publicize these abuses to seek legal redress.
Igor Kalyapin speaking of the effect of international publicity said: “When the international community is watching us it is more difficult for the authorities to take steps against us.”
Micheline Calmy-Rey, Chair, Martin Ennals Foundation said: “The choice of the Jury has again shown that human rights defenders are the most crucial actors and can make a difference on the ground.”
The Jury also selected two recipients of the New Martin Ennals Prizes: Mario Joseph, who is referred to as Haiti’s most important Human Rights lawyer and has worked on some of the most important cases in Haiti, including the current case against the former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier; and Mona Seif, from Egypt, core founder of the “No To Military Trials for Civilians” national movement.
The main award of the human rights movement, the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) is a unique collaboration among ten of the world’s leading human rights organizations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide. The Jury is composed of the following NGOs: ICJ, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, World Organisation Against Torture, FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), HURIDOCS, Human Rights First, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights and German Diakonie.
Watch the MEA movie on Joint Mobile Group
