Al-Haq/ Ramallah/
On 8 February 2021, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), together with Al-Haq, Al Mezan, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), 11.11.11, and CNCD.11.11.11, sent a joint letter to EU Member States ahead of the upcoming 46
th Human Rights Council (HRC) session, urging states to support the HRC resolutions on Palestine particularly on accountability and Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise.
The joint call comes in light of Israel’s continued widespread and systematic violations against Palestinians, some of which amount to international crimes, and the international community’s continued inaction, including to address Israel’s pervasive impunity. The international law-based resolutions concerning Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise and ensuring accountability for all violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including East Jerusalem, in particular, are receiving dwindling support from EU
European Parliament Adopts Resolution on Yemen, Calls on EU and Member States to Address Accountability Gap
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On Thursday, 11 February 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen by a large majority of 638 votes for, 12 against and 44 abstentions. Two days earlier, a debate took place between Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) Joseph Borrell, where MEPs strongly condemned the ongoing violence in Yemen since the conflict began, and which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world as echoed in the adopted text.
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and Mwatana for Human Rights call on the European Union (EU) and its Member States to immediately act on the explicit and direct calls made by the European Parliament in the 2021 and 2018 resolutions on Yemen to ensure accountability for perpetrators and to halt all arms exports to, a
CC: Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator James Risch, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs Representative Michael McCaul, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Dear Secretary Blinken:
We, the undersigned organizations, work to promote human rights, democracy, media freedom, environmental sustainability, and an end to corruption around the world. The protection of human rights defenders such as activists, lawyers, and journalists is critical to each of our missions.[1] We are deeply concerned by the unabated rise in reprisals against human rights defenders, both globally and within the United States, and the chilling effect that these attacks have on fundamental freedoms and civic space.
Extend the mandate of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan
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AI Index Number: AFR 65/3638/2021
5 February 2021
Excellencies,
We, the undersigned non-governmental organisations, write to urge your delegation to support the extension in full of the mandate of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (“Commission” or “CHRSS”) at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council’s (“HRC” or “Council”) 46th session (22 February-23 March 2021).
As the only mechanism currently collecting and preserving evidence of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law with a view to accountability and addressing human rights and transitional justice issues in South Sudan from a holistic perspective, the CHRSS remains vital. Two and a half years after the signature of the Revitalised Peace Agreement for Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the country faces major governance, security, humanitarian, and human rights is
Dear Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen,
We the undersigned, more than 100 organisations from around the world, are appealing for your assistance to secure the release of prominent human rights defender and dual Danish-Bahraini citizen Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja from prison in Bahrain, where he is serving a life sentence for his peaceful political and human rights activities in violation of his right to freedom of expression. As he completes the tenth year of his imprisonment, we appeal to you directly as head of the Government of Denmark to renew and strengthen efforts to ensure his immediate and unconditional release so he can be reunited with his family and receive much needed medical treatment and torture rehabilitation in Denmark.