“It is time to recognize the contribution of
whistleblowers” – UN expert welcomes commutation of Manning’s sentence
GENEVA (18 January 2017) – The United Nations Independent
Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order,
Alfred de Zayas, welcomes the commutation of Chelsea Manning’s 35-year sentence
for leaking classified military secrets. Mr. de Zayas calls on all Governments
to protect whistleblowers instead of persecuting them.
“I welcome the commutation of sentence of Chelsea Manning
and her forthcoming release in May. There are, however, many whistleblowers who
have served the cause of human rights and who are still in prison in many
countries throughout the world. It is time to recognize the contribution of
whistleblowers to democracy and the rule of law and to stop persecuting them.
I call on Governments worldwide to put an end to multiple
campaigns of defamation, mobbing and even prosecution of whistleblowers like
Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, the Luxleakers Antoine Deltour and Raphael
Halet and the tax corruption leaker Rafi Rotem, who have acted in good faith
and who have given meaning to article 19 of the International Covenant on Civiland Political Rights on freedom of expression. Whistleblowers who are serving
prison sentence in many countries should be pardoned.
Whistleblowers are human rights defenders whose
contribution to democracy and the rule of law cannot be overestimated. They
serve democracy and human rights by revealing information that all persons are
entitled to receive. A culture of secrecy is frequently also a culture of
impunity. Because the right to know proclaimed in article 19 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is absolutely crucial to
every democracy, whistleblowers should be protected, not persecuted.
A democratic and equitable international order can best
be achieved when States give prompt and effective consideration to the findings
and recommendations of international human rights mechanisms, especially those
of special procedures mandate holders and treaty bodies.
Respect for human rights and human dignity must be
vindicated by giving necessary protection to whistleblowers and adopting a
Charter of Rights of Whistleblowers, as I proposed in my 2016 report to the UnitedNations General Assembly.
I urge the UK and Swedish Governments to strengthen the
human rights system by giving effect to the recommendation of the UN WorkingGroup on Arbitrary Detention. I am concerned that despite the opinion of the
Working Group neither Government has taken steps toward implementation and Mr.
Assange finds himself a refugee under the diplomatic protection of Ecuador.
It is time for this abnormal and inhuman situation to
end.”
ENDS
Mr. Alfred de Zayas (United States of America) was
appointed as the first Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and
equitable international order by the Human Rights Council, effective May 2012.
He is currently professor of international law at the Geneva School of
Diplomacy. Mr. de Zayas practiced corporate law and family law in New York and
Florida. As a Human Rights Council’s mandate holder, he is independent from any
government or organization and serves in his individual capacity.
The Independent Experts are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country page: United States
For more information and media requests, please contact
Mr. Thibaut Guillet (+41 22 917 93 89 / tguillet@ohchr.org) or write toie-internationalorder@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /
xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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