¿Sabes qué pasó? Weekly Newsletter November 13-19.
French justice issued an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior army officers over chemical attacks in Syria in 2013
France issued an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior army officers, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes over chemical attacks in Syria in 2013 that left more than 1,000 dead in Syria’s Eastern Guta region.
The arrest warrants were issued as part of an investigation launched in France in 2021, following a complaint filed by several organizations, including the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM).
According to the complainants, the volume and detail of the evidence convinced the judges that there was serious evidence against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Commander Maher al-Assad and Generals Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan in the planning and execution of these attacks. In addition, they emphasized that the courts can use the principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute heinous international crimes committed on foreign territory in certain circumstances, and that, in other Syrian cases, the Paris Court’s specialized unit for crimes against humanity and war crimes has already issued arrest warrants for Syrian regime officials.
Aida Al-Samani, senior legal advisor at Civil Rights Defenders, highlighted the importance of this move and said, “We hope that the arrest warrants send a clear message to the survivors and all those affected by these attacks and other horrendous crimes committed in Syria that the world has not forgotten and that the fight for justice will continue.“.
This decision is a transcendental legal precedent in terms of the application of universal justice, as it allows the investigation of international crimes committed in Syria in French justice.
You can read the full story here and on the whistleblower organization’s website
The NHRIs issued a Declaration on Torture and Ill-treatment and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).
The Global Alliance Of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), organized the 14th International Conference on Torture and Ill-treatment and the Role of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), held in Copenhagen (Denmark), November 6-8, 2023.
NHRIs have been internationally recognized as actors for the promotion and protection of human rights since 1946, and in 1991, they participated in the drafting of the “Paris Principles” which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, and that same year, they decided to establish the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. (GANHRI)
During the 14th Conference, more than 300 participants reflected on the main challenges facing States in combating and preventing torture and other ill-treatment, and on the need to strengthen international cooperation to prevent and eradicate torture.
On the last day, they issued a Declaration with the aim of unifying strategies for action to prevent torture and ill-treatment.
The Declaration highlights, among other issues, the obligation of States to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of all persons not to be subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, as well as the duty to activate mechanisms for the protection and reparation of victims, especially those who experience situations of vulnerability.
Finally, the Declaration stresses the need to strengthen international cooperation among States and the importance of allocating financial resources for preventive work and adopting legislative, judicial, administrative and educational measures to prevent and eradicate this phenomenon.
This document helps States to strengthen their commitment in the fight to eradicate torture and ill-treatment. in accordance with international human rights law.
You can read the full Statement here
Climate crisis: according to UN report, only 4% of countries plan to eliminate multi-billion dollar fossil fuel subsidies
Two weeks before the start of the UN Climate Change Conference -COP28-. to be held between November 30 and December 12, 2023, Dubai, the United Nations examined the plans of the countries that have signed the Paris Agreement and drew up a report in which it alerted the States to the need to take urgent measures against global warming.
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP21 in Paris on December 12, 2015 and aims to limit global warming to achieve a climate-neutral planet by mid-century. To this end, the signatory countries committed themselves to reach the maximum greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.
However, the UN warned that these emissions will peak this decade, but that this is not enough to avoid “climate catastrophe”, as they will not be reduced with sufficient speed and intensity.
On this point, we should note that governments give hundreds of billions of public money every year to the fossil fuel sector around the world, despite the fact that coal, oil and gas are primarily responsible for the climate crisis that has brought the planet to a situation of exceptionality. Therefore, eliminating these public subsidies is a crucial point in the fight against climate change.
According to the report, only 4% of the climate plans of the countries party to the Paris Agreement include direct references to phasing out public support for fossil fuels, which are primarily responsible for emissions.
This report will form the basis of the COP28 in Dubai, and will surely be a turning point for the States when adopting future climate measures.
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