VIENNA - Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has called upon the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - an intergovernmental body that sets standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing - to improve its cooperation with civil society, and to consider the sector's significant contributions in the fight against terrorism. He also commended the body for its decision to review its interpretation of Recommendation 8, a controversial measure that requires FATF member States to ensure that their laws sufficiently prevent non-profit organisations from financing of terrorism. The Recommendation has drawn sharp criticism in recent years, with many civil society organizations - and Kiai himself - reporting that oppressive governments have used it as an excuse to crack down on dissent. Kiai, who is the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, made the comments via a written submission to FATF's "Consultation and Dialogue Meeting with Non-Profit Organizations," held on April 18 in Vienna, Austria. The delegates will examine the impact of Recommendation 8 on civil society, among other things. The Special Rapporteur further called upon FATF "to leverage its leadership position to positively influence governments’ approach to counter-terrorism mechanisms away... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of eighteen United Nations independent experts, including Maina Kiai, has welcomed the new Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights while Countering Terrorism in Africa launched this year by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Speaking ahead of an upcoming ACHPR’s panel discussion in Banjul, The Gambia (11 April), in which Member States will be briefed on the new Principles and Guidelines, the UN experts called on all African governments to fully implement the Commission’s recommendations in order to respect human rights in the context of fighting terrorism. “We commend the ACHPR’s effort to draw a clear line of demarcation between what is permissible and what is not, when countering terrorism. Against a growing trend of countries moving away from international legal norms and standards on a global scale and at a time when terrorist groups, such as ISIS, Boko Haram or less known ones, are bringing harm and suffering to countless people in Africa, this document represents a principled stand on human rights and the rule of law in the Continent. The essence of lawful State action, when countering terrorism, requires States to protect national security and public safety in full respect of individuals’ human rights and fundamental freedoms,... Continue reading →
