This page summarizes cases raised with France by the Special Rapporteur between May 1, 2011, (when the Special Rapporteur took up his functions) and February 28, 2017 (the date of the last public release of communications). Communications are released to the public once per year. This page also contains observations on these communications and on responses received from France. Communications and observations are divided into sections based upon which observation report they originally appeared. Each communication is referenced as urgent appeal (UA), allegation letter (AL), joint urgent appeal (JUA) and joint allegation letter (JAL) - the hyperlinks lead to these documents. This is followed by the date the communication was issued, as well as the case number and the State reply (also hyperlinked if available). Summaries and communications are published only in the language of submission (in the case of France, French). First Report (May 1, 2011 to March 15, 2012) Joint urgent appeal, 10/2/2012. Case no. FRA 1/2012. State Reply: 8/5/2012. Allégation d'un risque crédible d'extradition et de risque de torture ou de mauvais traitement. Observations Le Rapporteur spécial remercie le Gouvernement de la France pour la réponse apportée à sa communication du 10 février 2012 au sujet du... Continue reading →
Issue No. 18 of the Assembly and Association Briefing, the newsletter of Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. In this issue: • Full coverage of the Special Rapporteur's recently-completed mission to South Korea • Call for submissions for the UNSR’s next report: Exploring fundamentalism’s impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association • UNSR releases annual report recapping 2015 • UN experts urge review of UK surveillance bill threatening freedom of expression • Stop harassment of human rights defenders in occupied Palestinian Territory – UN experts • Alarms over Saudi Arabia’s growing clampdown on freedom of expression • Fundamental freedoms key to ensuring peaceful and fair elections in Venezuela • UN rights experts urge France to protect fundamental rights while countering terrorism • UN experts urge Ethiopia to halt crackdown on protesters, ensure accountability • Freedom of association and assembly: By the numbers • Special Rapporteur news in brief: December 2015 - January 2016 • World briefing: Freedom of assembly and association in the news For a link to the newsletter, click on the image at right or click here (1.9MB file) or here (4.5MB full... Continue reading →
(English) GENÈVE – L'état d'urgence en vigueur en France et la loi sur la surveillance des communications électroniques imposent des restrictions excessives et disproportionnées sur les libertés fondamentales, a averti aujourd'hui un groupe d'experts en droit de l’homme des Nations Unies*. Parmi les préoccupations qu’ils ont partagé avec le gouvernement français, les experts indépendants ont souligné le manque de clarté et de précision de plusieurs dispositions des lois sur l'état d'urgence et la surveillance, portant sur la nature et la portée des restrictions à l'exercice légitime du droit à la liberté d’expression, la liberté de réunion pacifique et d'association et le droit à la vie privée. « Alors que la France débat sur le renforcement des mesures dans la lutte contre le terrorisme, et à cet effet s’engage dans une réforme de la procédure pénale, nous appelons à réviser ces dispositions et possibles réformes, afin d’assurer leur conformité au regard du droit international des droits de l’homme » ont-ils souligné. Pour garantir l’état de droit et prévenir des procédures arbitraires, les experts recommandent l’exercice d’un contrôle judiciaire préalable sur les mesures anti-terroristes. La loi sur l’état d’urgence, en vigueur... Continue reading →
(français) GENEVA – The current state of emergency in France and the law on surveillance of electronic communications impose excessive and disproportionate restrictions on fundamental freedoms, a group of United Nations human rights experts* warned today. In a list of concerns shared with the French Government, the independent experts stressed the lack of clarity and precision of several provisions of the state of emergency and surveillance laws, related to the nature and scope of restrictions to the legitimate exercise of right to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association and the right to privacy. “As France debates the strengthening of measures in the fight against terrorism, and considers a reform of the criminal procedure, we call on the authorities to revise the provisions and possible reforms adopted to that end, to ensure they comply with international human rights law,” they noted. In order to guarantee the rule of law and prevent arbitrary procedures, the experts recommend the adoption of prior judicial controls over anti-terrorism measures. The state of emergency law in force since the recent terrorist attacks in France, which temporarily expands the powers of the executive in the fight against terrorism, only allows judicial review a posteriori. The... Continue reading →
