GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, today called upon the Mauritanian Parliament to reject the draft law on associations approved by the Council of Ministers last month without public consultations. “While I support Mauritania’s efforts to reform and improve laws that govern the work of civil society, I am concerned that the bill, as it stands, threatens the exercise of fundamental freedoms in the country, in particular the right to freedom of association,” Mr. Kiai said. The human rights expert further voiced particular concern about the lack of civil society consultation ahead of the elaboration of the recently amended draft Law on associations, foundations and networks of associations, which is not in line with international standards. “The Mauritanian Government should view civil society as a key partner in the process of reform.” “Legislation that enshrines mandatory procedures for the ‘prior authorization’ of associations, instead of a simple process of ‘prior notification’, risks hindering the work of civil society in Mauritania,” he said. Instead, Mr. Kiai stated, “a prior notification process that automatically attributes an association the legal personality to function is... Continue reading →
GENEVA – Three United Nations human rights experts, including Maina Kiai, today call on the Bahraini authorities to drop all charges the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, who was released from prison earlier this week for health reasons. While welcoming Mr. Rajab’s release, the experts called it “only a half measure, given that the he is still facing charges that carry up to fifteen years of imprisonment.” Mr. Rajab, who is the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was jailed in October 2014 in connection with statements made on his Twitter account and was initially charged for ‘publicly insulting official institutions.’ This was only months after he had completed a two-year prison sentence after calling for and participating in peaceful demonstrations. Despite his recent release, Mr.Rajab’s pending charges include ‘disseminating false rumours in the time of war,’ ‘insulting public officials’ and ‘disseminating false news causing damage to the public security.’ “Criminalizing, prosecuting and imprisoning human rights defenders for carrying out their vital human rights work and enriching public debate are unacceptable under international law,” the experts stressed. “Human rights defenders in Bahrain must be able to carry out their... Continue reading →
The Special Rapporteur’s factsheet summarizing his official visit to Oman in September 2014 highlights issues surrounding the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and is presented in an easy-to use “yes/no” format, with hyperlinks to source materials. This factsheet draws heavily from the Special Rapporteur’s report on the Oman visit, which was presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2015. It provides details and analysis of: • The authorization process for peaceful assemblies in Oman • The registration of associations, and the Government's role in regulating the civil society sector • Oman's ban on political parties and political associations • The Special Rapporteur's findings and recommendations • The case of human rights defender Said Jadad, who was arrested following the Special Rapporteur's visit • And more The factsheet also gives background information on Oman, including vital statistics and its "scorecard" on ratifying key UN human rights treaties. For the Special Rapporteur’s full factsheet series, please see:... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations human rights experts, including Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai, expressed outrage at the decision by an Egyptian court to uphold the death sentences against 183 people, and called on Egypt to respect its obligations under international human rights law. “By imposing mass death sentences on several occasions over the past two years, the Egyptian courts have shown their utter disregard for the right to life as protected under international law,” the experts said. Most of the defendants in this third mass sentencing since January 2014 are alleged supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi. “We previously warned the authorities that with the imposition of mass death sentences, Egyptian courts were casting a serious shadow over the independence and impartiality of the country’s justice system.” The experts’ statement follows last Monday’s decision by an Egyptian court to uphold a previous verdict sentencing 183 people to death for allegedly carrying out an attack on a police station in the village of Kerdassa on the outskirts of Cairo in August 2013, in which 13 policemen were killed. “These latest developments show Egypt’s persistent failure to comply with its international human rights law obligations, in particular relating to due process... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations independent experts, including Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai, today urged the Bahraini authorities to release Sheikh Ali Salman, an opposition politician and a religious figure who was refused bail on charges that include inciting a change of regime by non-peaceful means. Sheikh Salman is secretary-general of the Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, Bahrain’s main opposition political party. His arrest in December 2014 came shortly after he was re-elected to his post. “The charges appear to stem from the Government’s dissatisfaction with opinions that Sheikh Salman expressed in public speeches and televised interviews, in which he called for the establishment of a democratic regime and for Government accountability,” the human rights experts said. “If this is indeed the case, his arrest and prosecution would amount to a breach of his fundamental human rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of religion or belief,” they said. “We have asked the Government of Bahrain to clarify the situation and to provide more information on these allegations.” The UN experts also expressed concern at allegations that Sheikh Salman’s hearing on January 28, when he was denied bail, did not take place in accordance with due process... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations independent experts has urged the Government of Oman to release Said Ali Said Jadad, a prominent human rights defender who has been advocating for democratic reforms in the country and has been repeatedly detained. Mr. Jadad’s latest detention took place on 21 January, without an arrest warrant. Mr. Jadad is scheduled to be transferred from the Police Headquarters in Salalah to appear in court in Muscat in the coming days, on charges of undermining the prestige of the state, incitement to sit-ins and demonstrations, steering up sectarian strife and offending state officials. “This is not the first time that I have been informed about acts of reprisals against Mr. Jadad following my official visit to Oman in September 2014,” the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, said. “Mr. Jadad has been repeatedly detained since 10 December and I am worried that he was arrested for having met with me during my visit.” “I urge the Omani Government to ensure the safety of Mr. Jadad and to guarantee that no human rights defender in the country is subjected to any form of reprisals – including threats, harassment, imprisonment or judicial proceedings,” Mr. Kiai stated. The Special Rapporteur on the... Continue reading →
GENEVA – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts, including Maina Kiai, has urged the government of Bahrain to drop charges against three women human rights activists exercising their rights to free expression and free association. “Deprivation of liberty on the sole ground of having exercised the right to free expression may be considered arbitrary,” the experts warned. Ms. Maryam Al-Khawaja, the co-director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, was sentenced on 1 December, in absentia, for allegedly assaulting airport security officers. Her sister, Ms. Zainab Al-Khawaja, a women’s rights and social media activist in Bahrain, was sentenced on 4 December to three years in prison and fined 3,000 BHD (7,900 USD) for tearing a picture of Bahrain’s King during a court hearing in October. Several days later, she was sentenced to an additional year for “insulting a public servant” and is facing further charges for insulting a police officer and trespassing. The two women activists are daughters of Mr. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, who has been in detention since 2011 and was the subject of numerous calls by UN experts for his release. Ms. Ghada Jamsheer, head of the Women’s Petition Committee, a network of Bahraini... Continue reading →
Maina Kiai undertook an official mission to the Sultanate of Oman Sept. 8-13, 2014. The visit was carried out pursuant to his mandate to assess the situation of freedoms of peaceful assembly and association in the country. During his six-day visit, Mr. Kiai met State officials, members of the judiciary and of Parliament, representatives of the National Human rights Commission and members of civil society. At the conclusion of his visit, the Special Rapporteur congratulated Oman at a press conference for its remarkable economic development over the past 40 years, but said that it was now "time for Oman to build on these achievements by adopting a human rights and people-centred approach that can lead to the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, including rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association." The expert noted a “consistent focus” on maintaining peace, order and stability in the country, which is often used for limiting assembly and association rights. This, in turn, creates “a pervasive culture of silence and fear affecting anyone who wants to speak and work for reforms in Oman,” he stressed, noting that some activists “reported reprisals, before and during my visit, following their attempts to contact or meet with me.” “Stability is certainly... Continue reading →
MUSCAT / GENEVA – “Just as Oman has successfully modernized and is a strong state, it can and should embrace further openness,” United Nations human rights expert Maina Kiai said at the end of his first official visit to the country. The Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association urged the Omani Government to embrace human rights with the same energy and focus they have devoted to economic development since opening up to the world 40 years ago. “This is the time for Oman to build on these achievements by adopting a human rights and people-centred approach that can lead to the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, including rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association,” Mr. Kiai said. The expert noted a “consistent focus” on maintaining peace, order and stability in the country, which is often used for limiting assembly and association rights. This, in turn, creates “a pervasive culture of silence and fear affecting anyone who wants to speak and work for reforms in Oman,” he stressed, noting that some activists “reported reprisals, before and during my visit, following their attempts to contact or meet with me.” “Stability is certainly important,” the Special Rapporteur said, “but it is crucial to... Continue reading →
(Click here for English) مسقط، 13 أيلول/سبتمبر 2014 أود أن أشكر حكومة سلطنة عمان على دعوتي لزيارة البلاد من أجل الاطلاع على وضع الحق في حرية التجمع السلمي وتكوين الجمعيات. أن سلطنة عمان هي أول دولة في الشرق الاوسط توجه الدعوة إلى ولايتي منذ إنشائها من قبل مجلس حقوق الإنسان في أكتوبر 2010. وتعتبر هذه الدعوة بمثابة شهادة للسلطنة تبين استعدادها لإجراء حوار صريح ومفتوح حول حالة حقوق الإنسان. كمقرر خاص، أنا خبير مستقل معين من قبل الأمم المتحدة بصفتي الشخصية وأعمل على أساس طوعي وفاءً لولايتي المكلف بها. وقد تطرقنا انا و فريقي الى طبيعة الشعب العماني من كرم الضيافة والترحيب التي احاطنا بها.. وأود أن أشكر حكومة سلطنة عمان على تعاونها قبل وخلال مهمتي. إنني في غاية الامتنان لجميع من حاورتهم. حيث كان لي محادثات بناءة مع ممثلي السلطة التنفيذية... Continue reading →
