Posts Tagged ‘reprisals’
November 21, 2013
The legal recognition and protection of human rights defenders is crucial to ensuring that they can work in a safe, supportive environment and be free from attacks, reprisals and unreasonable legal restrictions. Despite this, governments in all regions are increasingly enacting laws which restrict and even criminalise the work of human rights defenders and NGOs. In response the Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights [ISHR] in partnership with regional, sub-regional and national human rights defender groups from around the world announces its plan to develop a model national law on human rights defenders to be enacted locally.
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Tags: African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, criminalization, foreign funding, Geneva, harassment, Human right, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, International Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, international protection, International Service for Human Rights, model law, Non-governmental organization, reprisals, restrictive laws, retaliation, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations Human Rights Council
November 18, 2013
On 13 November 2013 Ambassador Remigiusz Henczel, President of the Human Rights Council, made his statement to the 68th session of the General Assembly in New York. It contains an important section on the issue of reprisals against human rights defenders which this blog has repeatedly referred to:
“Let me now turn to the role of civil society in the proceedings of the Council. Active participation and contribution of civil society organizations is central to the work of the Human Rights Council and makes it a unique forum among other UN intergovernmental organs. It is therefore essential that representatives of civil society operate in a free, open and safe environment that protects and promotes their own human rights. I have personally condemned acts of reprisals in the context of Council and UPR sessions and have repeatedly stated that any acts of intimidation or reprisals against individuals and groups who cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations and its representatives are unacceptable and must end. It is the Council’s and its President responsibility to address effectively all cases of intimidation or reprisals and to ensure an unhindered access to all who seek to cooperate with the UN mechanism. In this regard, Council resolution 24/24 adopted last September on cooperation with the United Nations in the field of human rights is of utmost importance. It requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to designate a United Nations-wide senior focal point on reprisals and aims at promoting the prevention of, protection against and accountability for reprisals and intimidation related to cooperation with the United Nations.“
full text on: GA statement – Google Drive
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 2 Comments »
Tags: Civil society, focal point, GA, Google Drive, Henczel, human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, reprisals, retaliation, UN, UN Human Rights Council
November 18, 2013
(Minister Eamon Gilmore at the 13th annual NGO Forum on Human Rights, on 13 November)
Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, announced at the 13th annual NGO Forum on Human Rights in Dublin [this year’s forum was on “Ideals and Interests: the place of human rights in foreign policy”] that he had initiated a complete review of Ireland’s foreign policy and external relations – the first such audit to be carried out in nearly two decades. This is important as Ireland – although a small nation – is one of the few with an explicit policy to support human rights defenders.
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Tags: Arab spring, Eamon Gilmore, Foreign Policy, foreign policy of Ireland, Human right, human rights, human rights and development, international human rights, Ireland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, NGO Forum, Non-governmental organization, reprisals, UN, United Nations
October 23, 2013
On 22 October the BBC and others reported that many member states of the UN Human Rights Council expressed concern at the arrest of dissidents, the continued use of the death penalty and the use of torture in prison, but Chinese officials maintained major progress had been made in improving social and economic rights. Julie de Rivero, of Human Rights Watch, told the BBC that China’s focus on economic progress was a way of avoiding the real issues: “The question is why does China continue to torture people in prisons and why is it systematic? Why do they not allow human rights defenders to raise questions that party members are even raising, about corruption? When it comes from the mouth of a human rights defender it earns them a place in prison”. Members of the UN panel also expressed concern about the treatment of a number of Chinese human rights activists in recent weeks.
(Activists from Students for a Free Tibet defied security to display a banner
on scaffolding in front of the United Nations (via BBC))
Under the UPR system, all UN member states undergo the review by the UN once every four years. [The UN panel – with a rotating membership of 47 states that does not currently include China – has no binding powers.] The report on China is expected later this week.
via BBC News – UN criticises Chinas rights record at Geneva meeting.
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Tags: BBC, China, corruption, freedom of expression, Geneva, HRW, human rights, human rights activists, Human Rights Defenders, Human rights in China, Human Rights Watch, reprisals, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, Universal Periodic Review, UPR
October 21, 2013
The New York Times of Monday 20 October carries a post by Chris Buckley which looks at the documentation submitted for today’s UPR session on China and concludes that it seems as if there are two different countries facing scrutiny in Geneva. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, China, Chris Buckley, Geneva, Government of the People's Republic of China, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Watch, illegal detention, New York Times, NGOs, reprisals, retaliation, United Nations Human Rights Council, universal human rights, Universal Periodic Review, UPR
October 16, 2013
A group of United Nations experts has expressed serious concern at reports that Chinese human rights defenders have suffered reprisals for seeking to participate in a major UN human rights assessment of China. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 5 Comments »
Tags: Cao Shunli, Chen Guangcheng, Chen Jianfang, China, Civil society, Frank LaRue, Geneva, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Human rights in China, illegal detention, Maina Kiai, Margaret Sekaggaya, reprisals, retaliation, UN Special Rapporteur, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, Universal Periodic Review, UPR, woman human rights defender, Zhao Zhenjia
October 14, 2013
To launch its new In-Brief on reprisals against human rights defenders, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights organized a side event at the 24th Session of the Human Rights Council. The round table discussion was presided by Prof. Andrew Clapham The main Conclusions are: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 4 Comments »
Tags: Andrew Clapham, defenders of human rights, Geneva Academy, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, International humanitarian law, international protection, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Reprisal, reprisals, retaliation, side event, standard setting, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations, United Nations System
October 4, 2013
Looking back at the 24th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council which came to an end last Friday, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies [CIHRS] is disappointed to see how timid the Council becomes when dealing with human rights in the Arab region. Indeed, the people of Syria, Sudan, Bahrain, Egypt, Palestine, and Yemen need all the support they can get to move their countries towards political stability and the rule of law. The Council should be a driving force in confronting cases of human rights violations and making recommendations to address them.
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Tags: Arab region, Bahrain, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, CIHRS, Civil society, Council, Egypt, foreign funding, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights mechanisms, human rights violations, International Criminal Court, Non-governmental organization, reprisals, retaliation, Sudan, Syria, UN Resolution, UN Special Rapporteur, United Nations Human Rights Council, Yemen
October 2, 2013
In the context of reprisals here is a report from Panorama concerning Azerbaijan, admittedly from an Armenian news source: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Armenia, Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan, elections, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, OSCE, Panorama, reprisals, September 2013, threats, Turkey, Vasif Talibov
October 1, 2013
In the Monitor of the ISHR of 30 September 2013, Ambassadors András Dékány and Istvan Lakatos of Hungary expresses an important opinion regarding the issue of reprisals against human rights defenders. As it is short here is the full text:
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Tags: Diplomatic mission, Geneva, human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, NGOs, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Reprisal, reprisals, retaliation, UN Resolution, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations System
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