Paris-Geneva, 25 May 2021
Excellencies,
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), urges UN Member States to
urgently step up their action to ensure global counter-terrorism policies do not negatively impact civil society and human rights defenders.
Although human rights were given a central place in the UN Global Counter-Terrorist Strategy (GCTS), human rights organisations have extensively documented the minimisation and under-funding of human rights aspects of the strategy[1]. In addition, civil society and human rights defenders have remained sidelined
in an overwhelming majority of processes within the UN Counter-Terrorist Architecture[2]. This situation has led to
Open Letter on Counter-terrorism laws and civic space
25/05/2021
Paris-Geneva, 25 May 2021
Excellencies,
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), urges UN Member States to
urgently step up their action to ensure global counter-terrorism policies do not negatively impact civil society and human rights defenders.
Although human rights were given a central place in the UN Global Counter-Terrorist Strategy (GCTS), human rights organisations have extensively documented the minimisation and under-funding of human rights aspects of the strategy [1]. In addition, civil society and human rights defenders have remained sidelined in an overwhelming majority of processes within the UN Counter-Terrorist Architecture [2]. This situation has led to
Khet Thi and
Sein Win, two poets who have been critical of the military junta and publicly supported the ongoing pro-democracy protests, as well as the sentencing and arbitrary detention of
Min Nyo, a journalist with the
Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB)[1]
media outlet, who had been reporting on the pro-democracy protests.
On March 3, 2021, journalist Min Nyo was arrested and severely beaten by police while he was covering a pro-democracy protest in Pyay, Bago Region. During his detention, Mr. Nyo has had access to a lawyer but not to his relatives. On May 12, 2021, a military court in Pyay Prison found Min Nyo guilty of attempting to hinder, disturb, damage the motivation, discipline, health and conduct of soldiers and civil servants and “cause their hatred, disobedience or disloyalty toward the military and the government”, under Article 505-a of the Penal Code and sentenced him to three years in prison. He is currently detained at Pyay Prison, where he is at risks of
Muong Sopheak and Mr.
Mean Prommony, member and Vice President of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA)[2], respectively.
On May 18, 2021, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected the bail application of the above-mentioned seven human rights defenders to ensure that they would attend their trial, which has not yet been scheduled. At the time of publication of this urgent appeal, Koet Saray, Hun Vannak, Tha Lavy, Mean Prommony, and Muong Sopheak remain detained in Phnom Penh’s Correctional Center 1 (CC1), while Chhoeun Daravy and So Metta are detained in Phnom Penh’s Correctional Center 2 (CC2).
The Observatory recalls that Hun Vannak, Chhoeun Daravy, Tha Lavy, So Metta and Muong Sopheak were arbitrarily arrested in August and September 2020 for participating in a protest calling for the release of a prominent union leader