Page 58 - Optional Protocol News Today

Tabuya should not have posted the half naked photo of a girl – AG

At a glance The arrival of conservative president Jair Bolsonaro was like taking a sledgehammer to the enjoyment of human rights in Brazil, a country that already had difficulties respecting its obligations under the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol (OPCAT). The new policies have aimed at dismantling the National Mechanism to Prevent and Combat Torture (MNCPT), including through a 2019 decision to stop obliging federal states to take into account the MNCPT’s recommen...

Public Statement by Chair of Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (5 February 2921) Format SC/14431 The Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in connection with the examination of the third report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Mali (S/2020/1105), agreed to convey the following messages through a public statement by the Chair of the Working Group: To all parties to armed conflict in Mali Strongly condemning all violations and abuses c...

(Last Updated On: February 3, 2021) A Nangarhar judge was killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in the city of Jalalabad on Wednesday morning, security officials said. According to officials, the man, identified as Hafizullah, was a judge at the Public Security and Business Department. He was the third court official killed in less than a month in the province. Hafizullah was reportedly attacked as he headed to work in a motorized rickshaw, said Farid Khan, spokesman for Nang...

Torture remains high in Afghan jails: UN report Posted By: adminon: Allegations by detainees of torture in Afghan detention facilities continue at high rates with the procedural rights of those detained largely ignored, a UN report said Wednesday. Torture and ill-treatment persist in the facilities of government agencies in Afghanistan, although UNAMA recorded a three per cent reduction in allegations compared to the previous monitoring period. “Torture can never be justified. It has lasting...

GENEVA (2 February 2021) – The UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, Mr Obiora C. Okafor, made the following statement: "The recent decision of the Human Rights Committee under article 5 (4) of the Optional Protocol (CCPR/C/130/D/3042/2017) adopted on 4 November 2020 reflects the need for State parties under the international law of the sea to take steps to protect the lives of all individuals who find themselves in a situation of distress at sea. Even if...

Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update – February 2021 Format SOMALIA The Somali Federal Defence and Police Forces (formerly listed as ‘Somali National Army’ and now including the Somali Police Force) are listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s (SG) latest annual report (S/2020/525) on children and armed conflict (CAAC) for recruitment and use and killing and maiming. Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama’a (ASWJ) is listed for recruitment and use, and Al Shabaab is listed for all five �...

President Tokayev exhorts new parliament to take on new political reforms in Kazakhstan 2021-01-31 Lucas Baltis President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has on January 15, 2021, presented to the newly elected members of parliament (Mazhilis) a third package of political reforms largely initiated by him. The new initiatives of the President aim to foster a further institutional development of the political system of Kazakhstan and enhance the mechanisms of the protection of human ri...

Is Ranjan Ramanayake Disqualified?  Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama According to a newspaper report, the Attorney-General has advised the Secretary-General of Parliament that Ranjan Ramanayake’s seat in Parliament has fallen vacant following his “conviction and sentence” for contempt of court. According to the Attorney-General, Ramanayake was “convicted” by the Supreme Court “of the offence of contempt of court punishable under Article 105(3) of the Constitution and sentenced to a term of f...

Australia is a peaceful, prosperous nation that vocalises its support for human rights – and yet last week at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, one after another, countries voiced their concerns about serious human rights violations that are being committed in Australia, particularly relating to the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, the minimum age of criminal responsibility, inequality faced by First Nations people and addressing climate change. This cascade of criticism should ...