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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon |
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 09:00 |
Ban calls on Member States to uphold human rights while fighting terrorism
9 octobre 2008 – Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon has underscored that nations are duty-bound to protect
human rights while countering terrorism, in a new report made public today.
“Member States are bound
to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law as the
fundamental basis in the fight against terrorism,” Mr. Ban wrote in a report on the implementation of a General Assembly resolution adopted last December.
In that resolution, the 192-member body confirmed that nations must
guarantee that any steps taken to fight terrorism conforms with their
obligations, specifically regarding international human rights, refugee
and humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General’s report notes that “Member States should
reaffirm their commitment to the total prohibition of torture by
prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in
international law.”
It also calls for people responsible for torture and ill-treatment to
be prosecuted and for barring the use of statement extracted under
torture, whether interrogations take place at home or abroad.
Mr. Ban also appealed for access for monitors to all prisoners in
detention, as well as well as the closure of places of secret
detention.
“Further, Member States should abide by the principle of
non-refoulement and refrain from returning persons to countries where
they may face torture,” he writes.
The publication points out that the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, human rights treaty bodies and Special Rapporteurs have all
voiced concern over extrajudicial killings and summary executions; the
alleged use of secret detention centres; and irregular transfers of
people suspected of participating in terrorist activities.
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 08:59 |
Myanmar: UN expert outlines steps for improving human rights
8 octobre 2008 – Improving
the situation of human rights in Myanmar is still a challenging task,
according to the independent United Nations expert on the issue, who
has outlined a series of measures for the South-East Asian as it
proceeds with its “road map to democracy” announced earlier this year.
“Respect for international human rights standards is indispensable in paving the road to democracy,” Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, writes in a report released today.
“Myanmar is going through a unique moment in its political history,” he
says, noting that the country’s new Constitution was finalized in
February and adopted through a referendum in May. “The next step in the
road map for national reconciliation and democratic transition is the
election in 2010.”
He stresses that if those general elections are prepared and conducted
in an atmosphere in which human rights are fully respected, “the
process will be credible, resulting in progressive achievement of
democratic values.”
Mr. Quintana proposes four core human rights elements to be completed
by the Government before the 2010 elections. The first is to review and
amend those domestic laws which limit fundamental rights – such as
freedom of expression, opinion, peaceful assembly and association – and
contravene the new Constitution and international human rights
standards.
“The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, as well as
the right to freedom of opinion and expression, are fundamental rights
to be respected in the process towards the establishment of a solid and
reliable democracy,” stated the Special Rapporteur.
“However, full enjoyment of those rights remains outstanding in
Myanmar, according to reliable reports on the extension of detentions
and/or new arrests of political activists.”
Mr. Quintana proposes the progressive release of prisoners of
conscience, of which there are more than 2,000 detained in different
facilities around the country.
“Without the free participation of prisoners of conscience, the very
credibility of the general elections of 2010 would be at stake,” he
stressed, adding that prisoner release would also reduce tension and
inspire political participation.
Last month the Myanmar authorities freed several detainees as part of
an amnesty procedure, including the country’s longest-serving political
prisoner, U Win Tin, and six other senior members of the National
League for Democracy (NLD), whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under
house arrest.
Mr. Quintana had welcomed the move, saying he hoped it “would be the
first in a series of releases of other prisoners of conscience.”
The transition to multi-party democratic and civil government, as
planned by the new Constitution, will require “an intensive process of
incorporating democratic values,” the Special Rapporteur notes.
Among the measures the Government should adopt are repealing
discriminatory legislation, continuing efforts to respond to the
aftermath of the deadly cyclone that struck the country in early May,
and avoiding the recruitment of child soldiers.
He also suggests a number of changes for the country’s judiciary, which
currently “is not independent and is under the direct control of the
Government and the military.” Proposed measures include guaranteeing
due process, exercising full independence and impartiality and setting
up mechanisms to investigate human rights abuses.
Mr. Quintana, who took up his post in May 2007, serves in an
independent and unpaid capacity and reports to the Geneva-based UN
Human Rights Council, as do all Special Rapporteurs.
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South Africa: UN rights chief urges protection for foreigners after brutal killing |
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Friday, 10 October 2008 11:51 |
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7 October 2008 – The
top United Nations human rights official today condemned the brutal
killing of a Somali family in South Africa, and urged the authorities
to take immediate action to protect foreigners from any further
attacks.
Sahra Omar Farah, her two teenage sons – one of whom was deaf – and her
12-year-old daughter were stabbed and bludgeoned to death last Friday
in a shop run by fellow Somalis in a village in the Eastern Cape,
according to a news release issued by the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Ms. Farah’s body was reported to have been stabbed over 100 times, and
initial signs suggest that both she and her daughter may have been
subjected to sexual assaults.
“I strongly condemn these murders of a defenceless family, apparently simply because they were foreigners,” said High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay.
“Xenophobic attacks unfortunately occur regularly in quite a few
countries, but this is one of the most vicious examples we have heard
of recently, outside of war zones.
“Somalia is currently in a deplorable state, with conflict raging –
especially in Mogadishu, where this family is believed to have come
from – and there is huge displacement and suffering. To find safe haven
in a country like South Africa, only to be brutally murdered a short
while later, is beyond tragic,” she stated.
Last Friday’s incident is the latest in a series of attacks targeted
against foreigners living in South Africa. In May, tensions related to
the large-scale influx of migrants and refugees into the country
erupted into several days of attacks on foreigners that left over 60
people dead and more than 15,000 displaced.
Ms. Pillay noted that Somali traders and shopkeepers have been a
particular target, with another three Somali shopkeepers murdered since
last Friday in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.
“There appears to be a dangerous pattern of targeted attacks on
foreigners, especially, but not exclusively, involving Somalis,” Ms.
Pillay said. While she welcomed the arrest of three suspects in the
attack, the High Commissioner called for concerted and long-term
efforts by authorities to prevent such violence in the future.
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Timor-Leste: progressos insuficientes |
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Monday, 25 August 2008 14:23 |
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Durante o último ano, Timor-Leste fez
progressos em matéria de direitos humanos, nomeadamente no que se refere à
adesão ao Estado de direito, ao reforço do sistema judicial e à resposta às
violações anteriores de direitos humanos, mas esses progressos continuam a ser
insuficientes, segundo um relatório publicado hoje pela Missão Integrada das
Nações Unidas em Timor-Leste (UNMIT).
O relatório, que abrange o período
compreendido entre Setembro de 2007 e Junho de 2008, saúda a maneira como as
autoridades nacionais reagiram aos ataques contra o Presidente José Ramos Horta
e o Primeiro-Ministro Xanana Gusmão, a 11 de Fevereiro, que demonstra uma maior
estabilidade institucional e uma maior adesão ao Estado de direito. “A
cooperação entre o exército e a polícia, bem como os esforços bem sucedidos
para deter as pessoas ligadas aos ataques sem recorrer à força constituíram
factos positivos”, acrescenta a UNMIT.
O relatório expressa, no entanto, preocupação
perante o aumento significativo do número de casos de maus tratos infligidos
por membros das forças de segurança durante o estado de excepção. A UNMIT
recebeu informações sobre ameaças de morte e de prisão que não respeitavam os
procedimentos legais. Embora os dirigentes nacionais se tenham comprometido a
responder a essas violações de direitos humanos, os mecanismos destinados a
apurar responsabilidades continuam a ser débeis.
O relatório destaca progressos no reforço
do sistema judicial com um maior número de funcionários timorenses e um
presença acrescida nos distritos. Contudo, há 4700 processos crime em atraso e
a violência contra as mulheres continua a ser preocupante, não tendo sido ainda
aprovada uma lei que permita tratar este tipo de queixas.
No que se refere às violações dos direitos
humanos no passado, o relatório final da Comissão de Verdade e Amizade
Indonésia/Timor-Leste foi apresentado, a 15 de Julho, aos Presidentes dos dois
países, que emitiram um comunicado conjunto, no qual reconhecem que foram
cometidas violações flagrantes dos direitos humanos. No entanto, os avanços no
sentido de responsabilizar os responsáveis pela prática de tais actos
criminosos, durante a crise de 2006,
continuam a ser lentos.
Segundo o Chefe da Secção de Direitos
Humanos da UNMIT, Louis Gentile, “Timor-Leste encontra-se actualmente numa
encruzilhada em matéria de direitos humanos”. “A população e as instituições de
Timor-Leste podem continuar a progredir neste domínio ou regressar a um passado
mais violento. A ONU está disposta a ajudá-las a avançar”.
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Nova Alta-Comissária para Direitos Humanos |
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Monday, 28 July 2008 09:00 |
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O Secretário-Geral da ONU, Ban Ki-moon, decidiu, hoje, nomear Navanethem
Pillay, da África do Sul, Alta-Comissária das Nações Unidas para os Direitos
Humanos, em substituição de Louise Arbour.
Ban Ki-moon anunciou a sua decisão à Assembleia Geral da ONU, após
consultas com o Presidente da Assembleia e os presidentes dos cinco grupos
regionais de Estados-membros, precisou a sua Porta-voz, Michèle Montas.
A nomeação tem ser aprovada pela Assembleia Geral, que examinará a questão
na próxima segunda-feira.
O Secretário-Geral agradeceu a Louise Arbour a sua acção ao serviço da ONU
e dos direitos humanos e saudou a sua dedicação.
Com a nomeação de Navanethem Pillay, Ban Ki-moon está determinado a manter
os direitos humanos como uma das prioridades da ONU. Formulou o desejo de que a
nova Alta-Comissária preserve a independência das suas funções e mantenha boas
relações com a Assembleia Geral e o Conselho de Direitos Humanos.
Navanethem Pillay era, desde 2003, juíza do Tribunal Penal Internacional
(TPI). Em 1999, foi eleita Juíza-Presidente do Tribunal Penal Internacional
para o Ruanda, onde começou a trabalhar como juíza eleita pela Assembleia Geral
da ONU, em 1995. |
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S-G sobre o Governo do Sudão |
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Wednesday, 16 July 2008 12:41 |
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O Secretário-Geral foi informado de que o Procurador do Tribunal Penal
Internacional pediu ao Tribunal que emitisse um mandado de captura contra o
Presidente do Sudão.
O Secretário-Geral sublinha de que o Tribunal é uma instituição independente
e que a Organização das Nações Unidas deve respeitar a independência do
processo judicial. As operações de manutenção da paz das Nações Unidas no Sudão
continuarão a realizar o seu importante trabalho de uma maneira imparcial,
cooperando de boa fé com todos os parceiros, para promover o objectivo da paz e
da estabilidade no país. A ONU prosseguirá também o seu trabalho essencial nos
planos humanitário e de desenvolvimento.
O Secretário-Geral espera que o Governo do Sudão continue a cooperar
plenamente com as Nações Unidas no Sudão, no cumprimento da sua obrigação de
garantir a segurança de todo o pessoal e bens da Organização.
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