Guatemala: UN expert deeply concerned by Congress refusal to reappoint top judge
GENEVA (19 April 2021) – A UN human rights expert today expressed serious concerns about Congress’s refusal to swear in Gloria Porras - a judge renowned for her decisions regarding protection and guarantees of human rights and the rule of law - to Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, condemning the continued harassment and intimidation of the judiciary in the country.
The former president of the Court was re-elected to the bench on 4 March, and had been due to resume her duties for another five-year term on 14 April.
“I am extremely concerned about the systematic use of legal weapons to obstruct the swearing in of Judge Porras,” said Diego García-Sayán, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, adding Porras had been subjected to various other forms of judicial harassment, hate speeches and stigmatization campaigns in social media, including for gender reasons. “T
United Kingdom: UN experts condemn reprehensible racism report pressreleasepoint.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressreleasepoint.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
United Kingdom: UN experts condemn “reprehensible” racism report
GENEVA (19 April 2021) – A group of UN human rights experts today strongly rejected a UK government-backed report into racism and ethnic disparities in the country, saying the review further distorted and falsified historic facts, and could even fuel racism, racial discrimination and negative racial stereotypes.
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which was set up by the UK government after the Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests erupted last year, presented its report on 31 March. “In 2021, it is stunning to read a report on race and ethnicity that repackages racist tropes and stereotypes into fact, twisting data and misapplying statistics and studies into conclusory findings and ad hominem attacks on people of African descent,” the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.
USA: “Rewards for Justice” program violates human rights, say UN experts
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GENEVA (14 April 2021) – The United States’ anti-terrorism program “Rewards for Justice” is violating the human rights of some of the individuals it targets, UN human rights experts said.
The program, operated by the U.S. State Department, offers money for information about people outside the United States whom the U.S. Government designates as being associated with terrorism, but who have not been charged with any crimes. It also offers money to foreign individuals whom it claims are involved with terrorism if they cooperate with U.S. authorities.
“Many of the people targeted by the Rewards for Justice program have had their due process rights denied,” said Alena Douhan, the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. “Those rights entail the presumption of innocence and fair trial, and the United States is obliged by