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Δευτέρα, Μαρτίου 31, 2014

Egypt: UN rights experts denounce mass death sentences as ‘mockery of justice’

UN, 31 March 2014 – A group of eight United Nations human rights independent experts today urged the Egyptian authorities to quash the 529 death sentences announced in Egypt last week and give the defendants new and fair trials, in line with international human rights law.
“The right to life is a fundamental right, not a toy to be played with. If the death penalty is to be used at all in countries which have not abolished it, international law requires the most stringent respect of a number of fundamental standards,” the experts said in a news statement.

On 24 March 2014, the 529 defendants were convicted of various charges, including membership in an unlawful organization (the Muslim Brotherhood), incitement to violence, vandalism, unlawful gathering and the killing of one police officer. All the charges relate to events in August 2013 after the Government of President Mohamed Morsi was ousted. The exact charges against each defendant are unclear as they were not read out in court, and at least 600 more individuals are currently under trial for similar charges.
“We are appalled by the lack of clarity of the charges under which each individual was sentenced to death. Reports that some of them received capital punishment for charges of unlawful gathering, or any other offence not involving murder, indicate a clear violation of international law,” the experts stressed, recalling the “most serious crimes” provision under international law, according to which only crimes of intentional killing may be punishable by death.

“The imposition of the sentence of death on 529 defendants, after a two-day trial that was rife of procedural irregularities, and on unclear or sometimes insignificant charges makes a mockery of justice,” added the experts. “There is a clear need for a serious and comprehensive reform in any legal system that allows for such developments to occur.”
The independent experts also expressed deep concern about numerous procedural irregularities reported during the recent proceedings, such as limited access to lawyers, trials in absentia, or the mass imposition of the death sentences, all of which are in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a party.
“International law also requires that, in cases of capital punishment, trials must meet the highest standards of fairness and due process,” they noted.

Warning that the absence of a fair trial is likely to “undermine any prospects for reconciliation within the Egyptian society,” the experts reminded the Egyptian authorities “how crucial it is that the future of the Egyptian society be based on dialogue, justice, and respect of human rights.”

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
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The group of eight experts was comprised of: Christof Heyns, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Gabriela Knaul, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Juan Méndez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
Also a part of the statement were: Mads Andenas, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Ben Emmerson, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.-
un.org
31/3/14

Τρίτη, Μαρτίου 25, 2014

UN human rights office deeply alarmed at mass imposition of death penalty in Egypt

UN, 25 March 2014 – The United Nations human rights office said today it is deeply alarmed by the imposition of the death penalty against 529 people in Egypt on Monday after a “cursory” mass trial in which the majority of defendants were not present in court.
“The astounding number of people sentenced to death in this case is unprecedented in recent history,” Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told a news conference in Geneva.
“The mass imposition of the death penalty after a trial that was rife with procedural irregularities is in breach of international human rights law.”

The 529 defendants were convicted of various charges, including membership of an unlawful organisation (the Muslim Brotherhood), incitement to violence, vandalism, unlawful gathering and the killing of one police officer.

All the charges relate to events in August 2013 after the Government of President Mohamed Morsi was ousted. Mr. Colville pointed out that this was several months before the Muslim Brotherhood was declared by the Egyptian authorities to be an unlawful organisation. The exact charges against each defendant are unclear as they were not read out in court.
Mr. Colville noted that a death sentence may only be imposed after proceedings that meet the highest level of respect for fair trial and due process standards, and only for the most serious crimes in accordance with international law.

“A mass trial of 529 people conducted over just two days cannot possibly have met even the most basic requirements for a fair trial,” he stated, while also noting that more than three-quarters of the defendants, reportedly 398 individuals, were tried in absentia.
“Membership of a political group or participation in demonstrations certainly does not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’,” he added.

Defence lawyers say that they have had insufficient access to the defendants and that the court did not consider relevant evidence presented by the defence.

According to sources present at the trial, among other procedural irregularities, the judge did not call on each defendant by name; some of the defendants who were in detention at the time of the trial were not brought to the court; and the judge did not ask about the legal representation of the defendants.
un.org
25/3/14

Πέμπτη, Αυγούστου 15, 2013

Egypt declares state of emergency. Announcement comes amid security crackdown on pro-Morsi protesters which left at least 295 people dead nationwide.

A state of emergency has been declared across Egypt, according to a presidential statement announced on state television.
The state of emergency will begin at 4pm local time (14:00 GMT) and will last for a month, the statement said on Wednesday afternoon.
The exceptional measures came as "the security and order of the nation face danger due to deliberate sabotage, and attacks on public and private buildings and the loss of life by extremist groups," the presidency said.

Interim president Adly Mansour "has tasked the armed forces, in cooperation with the police, to take all necessary measures to maintain security and order and to protect public and private property and the lives of citizens."
The announcement came amid a deadly crackdown by security forces on two Cairo protest camps set up by supporters of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Conflicting reports have emerged over the number of people killed on Wednesday.
The Health Ministry said 95 people were killed in clashes that happened nationwide, with another 974 injured.

However, some members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood said the death toll was as high as 2,200, with about 10,000 injured.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the Brotherhood's figure.
Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Cairo, said the military has now been given "a mandate by cabinet to play an active role in the crackdown, if the situation escalates, and we have seen that the situation has escalated."
"It is a very worrying situation, and the state of emergency only serves to highlight the very precarious situation."
The Interior Ministry said 543 pro-Morsi supporters were arrested nationwide, in incidents related to dispersing the sit-ins of Rabaa and Nahda. The arrests were made for possession of arms including automatic weapons, and large amounts of ammunition.

Journalists killed
Ammar Beltagi, the son of Mohammad Beltagi, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, told Al Jazeera his 17-year-old sister, Asmaa, was shot and killed in the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in in Nasr City.
Two journalists were also killed while covering the violence. Mick Deane, a cameraman for the UK-based Sky News channel, and Habiba Abd Elaziz, a reporter for the UAE-based Xpress newspaper, died from gunshot wounds.
Live footage from Cairo on Wednesday morning showed smoke engulfing Nahda Square, the smaller of the two sit-ins based in Giza, amid reports of tear gas and birdshots being used on supporters of the deposed president.
By mid-morning, the Interior Ministry said security forces had "total control" over Nahda Square, and that "police forces had managed to remove most of the tents" in the area. Security forces had blocked all access to the protest camp.
In an afternoon press conference, the cabinet media adviser thanked the security forces for "exercising self-control and high-level professionalism in dispersing the sit-ins," and held the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for "escalation and violence".
Witnesses said that after firing tear gas into the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in, pandemonium struck among the thousands of protesters who had set up camp there soon after Morsi was ousted by the army on July 3.

Automatic fire
Protesters have camped in Cairo demanding the reinstatement of Morsi, who was country's first democratically elected president and his Freedom and Justice Party was the largest political group in the now dissolved parliament.
Clashes quickly erupted between protesters and security forces on one side of the camp, with automatic fire reverberating across the square. It was not immediately clear who was shooting.

Television footage showed the injured being carried to a makeshift medical centre as well as police dragging away protesters, who had defied numerous ultimatums by the army-installed authorities to end their demonstrations.
Police barred journalists not already in the camp from entering.
In response to the security operation, the Muslim Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets across the country to "stop a massacre".
Al Jazeera's D. Parvaz, reporting from a makeshift hospital near the Rabaa sit-in, said that the people in the area will not be deterred. "No one is willing to give up, and they've said that the gunshots are not going to scare them".
She said the hospital, which has been set up in the entrance of a local mosque, has been receiving a steady stream of wounded people.
“They are bringing in a steady stream of gunshot victims, of all ages, with wounds everywhere."
“At least four people have died from their wounds in the period I’ve been here.”
http://www.aljazeera.com
14/8/13
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