Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights: Rupert Colville
Location:
Geneva
Subject: (1) Ethiopia
(2)
Guatemala
(1) Ethiopia
There has been increasing unrest in several towns in the
Oromia region, south east of Addis Ababa, since last Sunday when many people
died after falling into ditches or into the Arsede lake while apparently
fleeing security forces following a protest at a religious festival in the town
of Bishoftu. The protests have apparently been fuelled in part by a lack of
trust in the authorities’ account of events as well as wildly differing
information about the death toll and the conduct of security forces. We call on
the protestors to exercise restraint and to renounce the use of violence.
Security forces must conduct themselves in line with international human rights
laws and standards.
There is clearly a need for an independent investigation
into what exactly transpired last Sunday, and to ensure accountability for this
and several other incidents since last November involving protests that have
ended violently.
Instead of cutting off access to mobile data services in
parts of the country, including in Addis Ababa, we urge the Government to take
concrete measures to address the increasing tensions, in particular by allowing
independent observers to access the Oromia and Amhara regions to speak to all
sides and assess the facts. In August this year, the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights requested access to the regions to enable the Office to provide
assistance in line with Ethiopia’s human rights obligations. We again appeal to
the Government to grant us access.
We are also concerned that two bloggers, Seyoum Teshoume
and Natnael Feleke, the latter from the blogging collective Zone 9, were
arrested this week. Feleke and a friend of his were reportedly arrested for
loudly discussing the responsibility of the Government for the deaths at last
Sunday’s Irrecha festival in Oromia. There have also been worrying reports of
mass arrests in the Oromia and Amhara regions. We urge the Government to
release those detained for exercising their rights to free expression and
opinion. Silencing criticism will only deepen tensions.
(2) Guatemala
We welcome the presentation to the Guatemalan Congress on
Wednesday, 5 October, of a draft bill on constitutional reform in the area of
justice. We hope that the text will be swiftly approved by the Congress, as
this represents an historic opportunity to consolidate the remarkable progress
the country has achieved in the fight against impunity and corruption in recent
years.
The proposed constitutional reforms aim to improve access
to justice, in particular for women and indigenous peoples who have
historically faced obstacles; to strengthen the independence and impartiality
of judges and magistrates; to depoliticize the nomination and appointment of
officials in the justice system; and to recognize indigenous peoples’ legal
jurisdiction over internal matters.
The proposal was drafted through a participatory process
which involved indigenous authorities, civil society organizations, academia,
the private sector as well as officials of the judiciary. Our office in
Guatemala, together with the Office of the Attorney General, the Human Rights
Ombudsman and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala,
provided assistance to ensure that the bill was in line with international
human rights standards.
In order to ensure that these important reforms can take
hold, it is crucial to ensure that judicial authorities can carry out their
work in a secure environment. So we are really concerned at growing threats
against Attorney General Thelma Aldana, who has played a crucial role in the fight
against impunity and corruption in Guatemala. Ms Aldana has been granted
precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights since
June, but the death threats against her have increased since last week. We
welcome the measures which have already been taken by the Guatemalan
authorities to protect her and ask for these measures to remain effective at
all times.
These worrying developments take place in a broader
context of threats against judicial authorities in Guatemala as well as
widespread attacks against human rights defenders, including attempts to
discredit their work. Those fighting against impunity seem to be particularly
targeted. Since the beginning of the year, over 100 attacks against human
rights defenders and journalists have been documented, including eight
killings.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact
Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org), Ravina Shamdasani (+41
22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org ) or Cécile Pouilly (+41 22 917 9310 /
cpouilly@ohchr.org)
For your news websites and social media:
Multimedia
content & key messages relating to our news releases are available on UN
Human Rights social media channels, listed below. Please tag us using the
proper handles:
Twitter: @UNHumanRights
Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: unitednationshumanrights
Google+: unitednationshumanrights
Youtube: unohchr
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar