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23. 12. 2014.

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:Ravina Shamdasani



Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
Ravina Shamdasani

Location:Geneva

Subjects: (1) Libya human rights report, (2) Cambodia / Montagnards
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(1) Libya human rights report

Fighting in recent months between armed groups in western and eastern Libya, as well as in the south, has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, mass displacement and acute humanitarian conditions for those trapped in conflict zones, warns a new report issued today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The report documents indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, the abduction of civilians, torture and reports of executions, as well as deliberate destruction of property, among other serious abuses and violations of international law in various parts of the country.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has warned all the parties involved in the fighting that those involved in grave abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law are criminally liable, including before the International Criminal Court which is investigating the situation in Libya.

“As a commander of an armed group, you are criminally liable under international law if you commit or order the commission of grave human rights abuses or fail to take reasonable and necessary measures to prevent or punish their commission,” High Commissioner Zeid has warned.

He has urged all those in positions of authority to declare publicly that acts amounting to violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law will not be tolerated.

A press release on the report, quoting High Commissioner Zeid and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, can be viewed on: http://www.ohchr.org. To read the full report, please visit: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LY/UNSMIL_OHCHRJointly_report_Libya_23.12.14.pdf

(2) Cambodia / Montagnards

We are very pleased to announce that the UN Human Rights Office in Cambodia was able, after weeks of engagement with the central and provincial authorities, to bring to safety the 13 Vietnamese Montagnards who had been hiding in the Cambodian forests since October, with no protection from the elements and little sustenance. They had said they wished to seek asylum, but provincial authorities had warned that, if found, they would be deported.

Last week, the Montagnards indicated that they were ready to come forward in the presence of the UN. Early Saturday morning, one group of eight Montagnards, including one woman, presented themselves to the joint UN and Ministry of Interior team that had travelled to Ratanakkiri two weeks earlier. Later that day, our team of three human rights officers and one driver scoured the jungle to search for the other group of five who wished to present themselves to the UN. Provincial police later informed the team that the group was being held in custody. The five were handed over to the joint team that evening.

When our team found them, the 13 Montagnards were thin, exhausted, disheveled and complaining of various health problems after more than seven weeks of sleeping rough on the forest floor with little to eat.

The group is now being registered by the government’s Refugee Department which will process their claims for asylum.

We are grateful for the close collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and with our partners at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). We thank the Ministry of Interior for its cooperation throughout the past two months, in spite of the difficulties with the provincial authorities. We acknowledge with appreciation the cooperation of the provincial law enforcement authorities in the final instance, when they ultimately allowed the last five to apply for asylum. We will continue to work with the Government to ensure that any future cases are handled in line with the standards required by international law.

ENDS 

For further information and media requests, please contact Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org)
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