Posts Tagged ‘Human Rights Council’

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UN human rights monitor on Iran has to rely on diaspora

November 29, 2011

The United Nations announced today that its Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, will launch a fact-finding mission to three European countries which host Iranian diaspora. He will visit France, Germany and Belgium from 30 November – 8 December 2011 to gather information about alleged human rights violations in Iran.  As reported in this blog earlier, serial cooperation refusnik Iran (7 July and 8 August 2011), the independent expert has made official requests to the Islamic Republic of Iran for a country visit, without obtaining a positive response from the authorities. “I will continue to make every possible effort to get the Iranian authorities’ support,” Mr. Shaheed said. “A country visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran would have allowed me to gain better understanding of the situation in the country, explore possible areas of cooperation, offer constructive dialogue with the authorities and produce report that reflect the views of all parties concerned, not the least the views of the Government.” … “ I will now study wide range of human rights issues by meeting activists within Iranian diaspora, alleged victims of human rights violations, intergovernmental and civil society organizations,” he explained. “The information collected in France, Germany and Belgium will help shape my report to the Human Rights Council in March 2012.”  The human rights expert will hold a press conference on Thursday 8 December 2011 at 10:30 at the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) office in Brussels.

NB. The person the Iranian regime is refusing is Ahmed Shaheed, a Visiting Lecturer at the Maldives National University, a member of the presidential Commission Investigating Corruption and a former foreign policy advisor to the President of the Maldives. Mr Shaheed was Foreign Minister of the Maldives from 2005 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2010.

see also: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/IRIndex.aspx

 

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UN Special Rapporteurs urge Cambodia not to go ahead with draft Law on Associations and NGOs

September 28, 2011

According to a UN press release (issued 28 September 2011) the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, together with colleague-rapporteurs on freedom of  assembly and association, Mr. Maina Kiai, and on the situation of human rights defenders, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya,urged the Cambodian authorities to take fully on board the concerns raised during the consultation process before enacting the law, especially the onerous requirements for registration and the lack of clear criteria on which registration applications will be considered. The draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organisations, in its current form, “may hamper the legitimate work of NGOs in the country.”
“The Government of Cambodia should not proceed with the draft NGO law in its present form,” Mr. Subedi said presenting his annual report on the situation of human rights in Cambodia to the UN Human Rights Council. “Of course, as a sovereign country, Cambodia is entitled to enact a law on NGOs, but the decision to adopt a law to regulate NGOs and associations is a critical initiative which requires careful attention, given its long-term implications for the development of Cambodian society – and in turn the country – itself.”  The UN expert drew attention to the fact that many of the civil society organizations in Cambodia have been playing a complementary role to that of the State in helping or delivering key social services in the areas of education, health, rural development, sanitation, social welfare and the protection of natural resources and the environment.

Mr. Subedi acknowledges that the overall situation of human rights had improved over the years in Cambodia, but that there still was “a great deal of work to be done to strengthen the rule of law, to accelerate the process of democratisation and to enhance the capacity of parliament to hold executive to account.”

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Human Rights Defenders and LGBT persons

June 29, 2011

Most of you will have noticed that on 17 June 2011 the UN Human Rights Council (on the last day of its session)  adopted a exceptional resolution dedicated to advancing the basic and fundamental human rights of LGBT persons (stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered). This historic vote marked a major victory for defenders of human rights, not just the gay movement. It sent a clear message that abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity must end. And for the first time ever, it commissioned a UN report to investigate the challenges that LGBT persons face. The vote marks the beginningsof universal recognition that LGBT persons are endowed with the same inalienable rights as all human beings and entitled to the same protections as all human beings, but it will be a long struggle especially if one sees how small margin of the ‘victory’ in the UN was: despite opposition from Russia as well as many African and Arab countries, the resolution passed narrowly, with a final tally of 23 to 19, with three abstentions. South Africa was the country that submitted the resolution to the Human Rights Council, and the country’s delegate, Jerry Matthews Matjila, presented the resolution saying: “The resolution before us today does not seek to impose values on other states” …”It seeks to initiate a dialogue which will contribute to us ending discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Only one month before, in May, the UN NGO Committee voted to deny UN accreditation to the Belgium-based International Lesbian and Gay Association.  ECOSOC this July could overturn that decision overturn.

MEA 2011 Laureate Kasha – a Lesbian Human Rights Defender from Uganda – and her colleagues around the world still have a hard long road ahead of them.

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