GENEVA – A group of United Nations human rights experts, including Maina Kiai, urged today the Turkish Government to uphold its obligations under international human rights law, even in the current time of declared emergency following an attempted coup. The experts’ call comes as Turkey’s invocation of Article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) enters into effect, following the Government’s proclamation of a state of emergency. The derogation provision in Article 4 allows States to temporarily relax some of their obligations under the Covenant under certain narrow conditions. Turkey signed the ICCPR in 2000 and ratified it in 2003. “The invocation of Article 4 is lawful only if there is a threat to the life of the nation, a condition that arguably is not met in this case”, the experts noted. “Even in situations that meet this high threshold, Article 4 establishes limits to how much a state may deviate from its obligations under the Covenant”, they added. “One cannot avoid, even in times of emergency, obligations to protect the right to life, prohibit torture, adhere to fundamental elements of due process and non-discrimination, and protect everyone’s right to belief and opinion,” the experts underscored. “The derogation provision... Continue reading →
(English • Español • français) 我们已经步入了2016年的第二个月（也是猴年的第二天），关于本年度最为重要的年庆活动，即世界上最为核心的国际人权条约的50周年大庆的声音却少的可怜。 这是个令人感到遗憾的发现——就此，我们希望能够得到您的帮助。 《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》（ICCPR）和《经济、社会和文化权利国际公约》（ICESCR）都是在1966年12月16日的联合国大会上通过的。ICCPR的第21条和第22条分别确立了国际法上和平集会和结社的自由权利。ICESCR保护了组织工会和罢工的权利。这些机制成为特殊报告员制度的基石。 尽管在距离全世界所有国家批准加入还有相当长的一段路需要走。（根据联合国的数据显示，目前仍旧有29个国家尚未加入ICCPR，33个国家尚未加入ICESCR。）公约的执行情况也尚不理想。但是，ICCPR和ICESCR与《国际人权宣言》代表了最为鲜明的集体性立场，即意在人类历史上确认人权和推动人权的发展。... Continue reading →
(English • Español • 中文) Nous en sommes déjà au deuxième mois de l’année 2016 (et au deuxième jour de l’Année du Singe), mais étonnamment, il n’y a eu que peu d’attention autour de l’un des anniversaires les plus importants de l’année : celui des principaux traités relatifs aux droits de l’homme qui fêtent leur 50 ans cette année. Cette situation est décevante – et nous avons besoin de votre aide pour y remédier. Le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques (PIDCP) et le Pacte international relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels (PIDESC) ont tous deux été adoptés par l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU le 16 décembre 1966. Le PIDCP consacre bien entendu les droits à la liberté de réunion pacifique et d’association, respectivement aux articles 21 et 22. Le PIDESC protège quant à lui le droit de former des syndicats et de faire grève. Ensemble, ces instruments constituent la colonne vertébrale du mandat du Rapporteur spécial. Il a fallu un long processus pour adopter et ratifier ces instruments et il reste encore du chemin à parcourir (les chiffres de l’ONU montrent que 29 Etats n’ont toujours pas adhéré au PIDCP, tandis que 33 ne sont toujours pas parties au PIDESC). Leur mise en œuvre est également... Continue reading →
(Español • français • 中文) We’re now well into the second month 2016 (and two days into the Year of the Monkey), but there has been surprisingly little buzz surrounding one of the year’s most important anniversaries: The world’s core international human rights treaties are turning 50. That's a disappointing situation - and we'd like your help in trying to fix it. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) were both adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 16, 1966. The ICCPR, of course, enshrines the international rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in articles 21 and 22, respectively. The ICESCR, protects the right to form trade unions and to strike. Together, these instruments create the legal backbone of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. It was a long road to adoption and ratification, and we’re still not there yet (as United Nations data shows, 29 states are still not party to the ICCPR, while 33 are not party to the ICESCR). Implementation has also been imperfect, no doubt. But the ICCPR and ICESCR – together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – represent the most ambitious and collaborative attempts at defining and upholding... Continue reading →
GENEVA – Speaking ahead of Human Rights Day 2015, the largest body of independent experts of the United Nations Human Rights system renews its commitment with the implementation of the Covenants, the two key human rights treaties which, together with the Universal Declaration on Human rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights. On Human Rights Day, the 55 independent mechanisms of the Human Rights Council –‘Special Procedures’– join a year-long campaign* to promote full ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1966. “The Covenants have spurred considerable normative developments and institutional building at international level, which have been matched by developments at national and local levels. Around the world, courts and tribunals, national human rights institutions, civil society activism and increasing public awareness have all contributed to making human rights a major legitimacy test for public and private policies and practices. We call for their universal ratification. Despite these positive developments, human rights remain under severe threat, including from conflict, poverty and inequality, the adverse impact of... Continue reading →
