IFOR expresses solidarity to indigenous communities in Nicaragua at the 48th UN Human Rights Council

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation supported the appeal launched by Peace Brigades International concerning the impunity of abuses against indigenous communities in Nicaragua, with a particular reference to the latest massacre on 23rd August in the Territorio Mayangna Sauni.

The Statement has been delivered at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva, during the General Debate following the oral update by the High Commissioner Ms Michelle Bachelet.

IFOR joined 15 other NGOs to support the right to life, land and territory of indigenous communities and called for accountability and investigation of crimes.

Read here the text of the Statement delivered.

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DECLARACIÓN ORAL CONJUNTA 

48ª SESIÓN DEL CONSEJO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DE LA ONU: 

ITEM 2: DEBATE GENERAL (14 de septiembre de 2021) 

Leída por: Amaru Ruíz 

(English translation below) 

Item 2: Debate General sobre las actualizaciones orales de la Alta Comisionada sobre la situación de los  derechos humanos en Afganistán, Nicaragua y Sri Lanka 

Gracias Sra Presidenta. 

En nombre de las organizaciones firmantes, saludamos la actualización oral sobre la situación en Nicaragua de la  Alta Comisionada. Hacemos eco a sus preocupaciones sobre el profundo deterioro de la situación de derechos  humanos en el país. 

En estos últimos meses han continuado las detenciones arbitrarias, allanamientos, persecuciones penales,  criminalización de la protesta, la cancelación de la personería jurídica de 55 organizaciones nacionales e  internacionales, así como la implementación de leyes restrictivas que socavan las libertades fundamentales. En  particular, desde finales de mayo 37 personas, entre las cuales siete aspirantes a la Presidencia, líderes de la  oposición, activistas, personas defensoras de los derechos humanos, periodistas, estudiantes y empresarios han  sido detenidos arbitrariamente, sumando a más de 150 el número de presos políticos actualmente. 

Nos alarma la omisión, negligencia e impunidad del Estado ante los recurrentes ataques contra los pueblos  indígenas y afrodescendientes en la Región Autónoma Costa Caribe Norte con el objetivo de adueñarse de sus  tierras. El incidente más reciente fue la masacre del 23 de agosto, en el Territorio Mayangna Sauni As, dentro de  la zona núcleo de la Reserva de Biosfera de Bosawás, en la que preliminarmente se conoce el asesinato de al  menos 9 personas de los pueblos indígenas Miskitu y Mayangna. 

Desde el 2015, estas comunidades han venido denunciando el aumento sistemático de la invasión a sus  territorios, la falta de protección de sus derechos colectivos y el deterioro ambiental causado por actividades de  ganadería extensiva, la explotación forestal y la minería. Inclusive, algunas se han visto obligadas a desplazarse  forzosamente de sus territorios para salvaguardar sus vidas.  

Instamos a que se garantice y protege el derecho a la vida de estas comunidades, su derecho a la tierra y el  territorio, además de su derecho a defender derechos humanos; a través del saneamiento de los territorios  indígenas y afrodescendientes, así como de procesos de investigación que permitan el esclarecimiento de los  hechos, identificación de responsables, acceso a la justicia y garantías de no repetición para los familiares de las  víctimas. 

Debido a la continua denuncia que desde el año 2020 realiza Amaru Ruíz, presidente de la Fundación del Río, por  la situación de vulneración de las comunidades indígenas y afrodescendientes, el 8 de septiembre de 2021 el  Ministerio Público de Nicaragua ha presentado el comunicado 075-2021 donde el señor Ruíz es acusado por  infringir el artículo 30 de la Ley 1042 o Ley Especial de Ciberdelitos, evidenciando que continua la persecución y  criminalización contra la personas defensoras de derechos humanos en Nicaragua. 

Organizaciones firmantes: 

1. Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) 

2. Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL) 

3. Colectivo de Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más 

4. Fundación del Río 

5. Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras) 6. International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) 

7. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) 

8. Mesa de Articulación LGBTIQ+ en el Exilio Costa Rica (MESART) 

9. Movimiento Campesino Anticanal 

10. Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) 

11. Peace Brigades International (PBI) 

12. Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos (RIDH) 

13. Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos – Europa (RIDH-E) 

14. The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights 

15. Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos - Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) 16. Women's Link Worldwide

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ORAL JOINT STATEMENT 

48th SESSION OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 

ITEM 2: GENERAL DEBATE (14TH September 2021) 

Read by: Amaru Ruíz 

Item 2: General Debate on the oral updates of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka.  

Thank you, Madam President. 

On behalf of the undersigned organisations, we welcome the High Commissioner's oral update on the situation  in Nicaragua. We echo her concerns regarding the profound deterioration of the human rights situation in the  country. 

In recent months, we have seen arbitrary arrests, raids, criminal prosecutions, criminalisation of protest, the  cancellation of the legal status of 55 national and international organisations, as well as the implementation of  restrictive laws undermining fundamental freedoms. In particular, since the end of May, 37 people, including  seven presidential hopefuls, opposition leaders, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, students and  businessmen have been arbitrarily detained, bringing the number of political prisoners to more than 150. 

We are alarmed by the State's omission, negligence and impunity in the face of the recurrent attacks against  indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region with the aim of  widespread land-grab. The most recent incident was a massacre of 23 August, in the Mayangna Sauni As Territory,  within the core zone of the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, in which at least nine people from the Miskitu and  Mayangna indigenous peoples are known to have been killed. 

Since 2015, these communities have repeatedly denounced the systematic increase in the invasion of their  territories, the lack of protection of their collective rights and the environmental deterioration caused by  extensive cattle ranching, logging and mining activities. Indeed, some have even had to leave their territories to  safeguard their lives.  

We call for the guarantee and protection of the right to life of these communities, their right to land and territory,  as well as their right to defend human rights, through the restoration of indigenous and Afro-descendant  territories, as well as investigation processes that allow for the clarification of the facts, identification of those  responsible, access to justice and guarantees of non-repetition for the families of the victims. 

Due to the continuous denunciation since 2020 by Amaru Ruíz, president of the Fundación del Río, of the situation  of violation of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, on 8 September 2021 the Nicaraguan Public  Prosecutor's Office presented the communiqué 075-2021 in which Mr. Ruíz is accused of infringing article 30 of  Law 1042 or the Special Law on Cybercrime, yet another example of the persecution and criminalisation of human  rights defenders in Nicaragua.

Signatories: 

1. Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) 

2. Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL) 

3. Colectivo de Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más 

4. Fundación del Río 

5. Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras) 6. International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) 

7. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) 

8. Mesa de Articulación LGBTIQ+ en el Exilio Costa Rica (MESART) 

9. Movimiento Campesino Anticanal 

10. Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) 

11. Peace Brigades International 

12. Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos (RIDH) 

13. Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos – Europa (RIDH-E) 

14. The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights 

15. Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos - Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) 16. Women's Link Worldwide

Click here to download the original text.

STATEMENT ON THE SITUATION IN ISRAEL-PALESTINE

IFOR STATEMENT ON THE SITUATION IN ISRAEL-PALESTINE

A fresh armed confrontation has emerged in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. In this region, however, history is never far away. This month marks the 73rd anniversary of the creation of Israel following the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution n. 181 (1947)¹, and the following so-called “Nakba” of 1947-48, where thousands of Palestinians lost their homes. This is still ongoing through forcible transfer, houses demolition, land grabbing and threats of further annexation of occupied land.

It is in this light that the current re-escalation of violence must be seen. Israeli authorities planned to evict Palestinian residents in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem - which Israel has annexed, even though it is occupied territory under international law - and transfer their homes to Israel settlers, Palestinians held demonstrations around East Jerusalem and Israeli forces responded by firing teargas, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets, including a violent attack against worshipers during Ramadan inside al-Aqsa Mosque². Hamas has launched rockets into Israel and  the Israelis' army responded with a massive military action in Gaza which has been under blockade since 2007 and where the pre-existing humanitarian situation is extremely fragile.³   

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) was founded over 100 years ago in response to the  horrors of the First World War. Since then, IFOR has taken a consistent stance against war and its preparation. When people, organizations and state institutions commit themselves to peace, war can be prevented, conflicts transformed through nonviolent means and systems that foster fear and hatred dismantled. When truth and justice are restored, reconciliation and healing can take place and lasting peace can be established.  

IFOR condemns all armed actions against civilians and civilian targets by the Israeli military and Hamas. Violence only leads to more violence. We mourn for all victims and their families.
The decades-long pattern of injustice, and violations of international law and fundamental rights has become unsustainable and inhumane.
IFOR welcomes this morning announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
IFOR supported the call for a ceasefire by the UN Secretary General, during the Security Council meeting held on May 16⁴; the UN chief stressed that the only way forward is to return to negotiations towards a two-State solution. Regrettably, the USA has reportedly blocked UNSC statements -for the third time in a week- that condemned Israel’s military response and called for a ceasefire⁵. 

The international community should be responsible for ensuring that there are no double standards when it comes to international law and human rights violations. While it shunned Hamas fifteen years ago, at the height of the ‘war on terrorism’, Israel has not honored UN General Assembly Resolution n. 194 (1948)⁶, nor has it complied with scores of the UN Security Council Resolutions including n. 242 (1967) and n. 338 (1973) calling for its withdrawal from the West Bank, including the illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, the Golan. Further UN Security Council Resolutions have also gone unheeded, including n. 2334 (2016), calling for the dismantlement of its settlements in "Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem”, which constitute a "flagrant violation" of international humanitarian law and have "no legal validity". These resolutions implore Israel to stop settlement activities, dismantle the settlements, and fulfill its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into the land it is occupying. Currently, more than 675,000 Israelis are living in contravention of these resolutions, in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.   

The persistent, uneven application of international law should be a matter of the greatest urgency to governments around the world. As things stand, civil society fills the gap, expressing its concerns in ever sharper terms. Last month, Human Rights Watch issued a report denouncing Israel for apartheid and persecution.  

As the cycle of violence increases, IFOR takes heart from and highlights the value of nonviolent actions such as civil disobedience, boycott and non-collaboration; we report, for instance, the courage of the young Israelis who refuse to serve in the military not to support the occupation⁷ and the dockworkers refusing to load weapons onto ships bound for Israel not to support war⁸. Many in Israeli civil society and Jewish communities around the world⁹ denounce the human rights violations and support various nonviolent initiatives. We have also seen Palestinians running several nonviolent initiatives, insisting on a peaceful solution, refusing to no longer accept the violence and the destruction caused by the ongoing conflict.

IFOR calls on the governments in the region and around the world to assume their responsibility in upholding international law, contributing to a peaceful solution and considering the impact of their role in supplying weapons to the region, and thus backing armed confrontation and maintaining structural violence. IFOR calls on the Member States of the UN Security Council and the entire international community to support peace negotiations under UN supervision and to ensure the implementation of International law and Justice, in Israel and Palestine. 

You can download the full statement here.

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1. A/RES/181 (II) https://undocs.org/A/RES/181(II)

2. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/11/jerusalem-gaza-israeli-authorities-reassert-domination

3. https://www.un.org/unispal/humanitarian-situation-in-the-gaza-strip-fast-facts-ocha-factsheet/

4. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092042

5. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/17/no-us-action-after-third-unsc-meeting-on-israel-palestine

6. A/RES/194 states the “Right to return” for Palestinian refugees.  https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/document/ip-ares-194.php

7.  https://www.972mag.com/sixty-teens-israeli-army-objectors/

8. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-palestine-arms-livorno-port-italy-b1848773.html

9. Including dozens of Jewish organizations such as B’Tselem, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Jews for a Just Peace, Gush Shalom, the New Israel Fund, the Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, the orthodox Neturei Karta.

IFOR stands with human rights defenders and addresses the case of Buenaventura in Colombia, at the 46th Human Rights Council

El 15 de marzo de 2021 el Movimiento Internacional de Reconciliación - International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR ha abordado la situación en Colombia y ha pedido a los Estados miembros del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU y a la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos que presten atención a las violaciones en Buenaventura.
La declaración ha sido pronunciada en el plenario de la 46ª sesión del CDH por María Eugenia Mosquera Riascos, una defensora de los derechos humanos colombiana que ha recibido recientemente amenazas por su trabajo; María Eugenia colabora con Presencia de Paz Peace Presence y es miembro de Conpaz.
Puedes ver la declaracion grabada aqui.

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On March 15th International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR addressed the situation in Colombia and called on the member States of the UN Human Rights Council and on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights "to give attention to the violations in Buenaventura (Colombia), an area where there are many foreign economic interests and to urge the national government to implement the peace agreement, to dismantle the surviving structures of paramilitarism, to fulfil the Acuerdo del Paro Cívico de Buenaventura and to prioritise social investment and not militarisation."
The statement has been delivered in the plenary of the 46th session of the Human Rights Council, by María Eugenia Mosquera Riascos, a Colombian human rights defender who has recently received threats for her work; María Eugenia collaborates with Peace Presence and is a member of Conpaz.

Human Rights Council, 46th session
Geneva, 15 March 2021
Item 4: Human rights situations that require the Council's attention
Oral statement delivered by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Madam President,

The Final Peace Agreement was an important step towards overcoming the social and armed conflict. However, the government's unwillingness to implement it has made the human rights situation increasingly deplorable.
According to the report presented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "In 2020, 76 massacres were documented, involving the death of 292 people, and 248 peace signatories have been killed". 1
My name is María Eugenia Mosquera Riascos, family member of a victim, human rights defender and member of the Association of Victims Communities Building Peace in Colombia 2.
In this opportunity we present a situation that requires the Council's attention, the case of Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, where human rights violations, threats, assassinations, forced disappearances, extortion, displacement, dismemberment, confinement, recruitment, sexual violence and expropriation of collective territories are on the rise. Terror is imposed by paramilitary-type structures that operate despite heavy militarisation.
In this context, in January I received threats 3, which are directly related to my work of accompaniment and defence of human rights in this part of the country.
We call on the Member States and the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to pay attention to these situations of violations in Buenaventura, an area where there are many foreign economic interests; to exhort the national government to implement the Peace Agreement, to dismantle the remaining paramilitary structures; to comply with the Acuerdo del Paro Cívico de Buenaventura 4, to prioritise social investment and not militarisation.

Thank you.

 [Translated from the original in Spanish]

1. https://www.hchr.org.co/documentoseinformes/informes/altocomisionado/HRC46-Informe-anual- 2020_traduccion-no-oficial.pdf

2. CONPAZCOL https://comunidadesconpaz.wordpress.com/

3. FOR Peace Presence y otras organizaciones escribieron una carta pública sobre estas amenazas

4. https://www.mininterior.gov.co/content/gobierno-logra-acuerdos-para-levantar-el-paro-civico-en-buenaventura

• You can download the English version of the statement here

• You can download the original statement in Spanish here

• You can watch the recording of this General Debate of the session of the Human Rights Council here (IFOR's statement is at 02:35:59)

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IFOR collaborates with both organizations for the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of peace.

CONPAZ - Comunidades Construyendo Paz en Colombia is a network of 140 victims’ organizations, present in 14 departments where the armed conflict still continues. Apart from its challenging work to strengthen community processes CONPAZ has presented decisive contributions to the peace negotiations in Havana, and is worried about its security situation.

In the framework of the peace negotiations CONPAZ proposed an alternative model of transitional justice, restorative justice, focused on reconciliation and investigation of the truth.

The Fellowship of Reconciliation Peace Presence (FORPP) is a non governmental organization dedicated to providing international accompaniment to communities and individuals at risk in Colombia who are working to promote human rights, peace and justice.

FOR Peace Presence provides physical safety, political visibility and solidarity by accompanying communities and organizations that embrace active nonviolence to defend life, land and dignity. FORPP started as a program of IFOR's U.S.A. branch and then, in 2014, FOR Peace Presence constituted itself as an independent organization.

IFOR STATEMENT ON THE U.S. RECOGNITION OF MOROCCAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER WESTERN SAHARA

On this day, December 14th 2020, which marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independ-ence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 1 IFOR is issuing a statement on the recent developments regarding the con-flict in Western Sahara.

STATEMENT ON THE U.S. RECOGNITION OF MOROCCAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER WESTERN SAHARA

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) was founded over 100 years ago, and at the heart of the fellowship is the steadfast belief in multilateralism as a way to engage within the international community.

On December 10th, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation stating that the United States will recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. 2 A departure from decades of U.S. policy, the move follows last month’s breakdown of the nearly 30-year ceasefire between Morocco and Western Sahara and the resumption of hostilities.

In 1991, the United Nations and the international community made a promise to the Saharawi people that a referendum would be organized, and that they freely and fairly would get to decide their own fate. 30 years later, that promise remains unfulfilled. Neither renewed fighting nor unilateral moves that disregard interna-tional law absolves the international community of this promise. On the contrary, it highlights the urgency of finally implementing the right to self-determination. Saharawi organizations have long sounded the alarm about the consequences of continued inaction and the eroding trust in the international community that fol-lows. 3

The initial reactions to the U.S. Administration’s announcement have been somewhat encouraging, with many countries denouncing the move. IFOR calls on all UN Member States to also act collectively in demonstrating their commitment to abide by international law and to be accountable for the implementation of funda-mental rights. In 2017, following the Trump administration’s announcement that the U.S. would recognize Je-rusalem as the capital of Israel – another example of unilateral action that disregarded international law– the UN General Assembly held an emergency special session and decisively backed a resolution that rejected the move. 4 Such action is again appropriate and necessary to reaffirm the primacy of international law.

With the current administration on its way out, it is also imperative that the new leadership in the U.S. act. IFOR urges President-Elect Biden to, immediately upon taking office, reverse the Trump administration’s de-cision and reaffirm the principles of international law, as the foundation for settling international conflicts, and multilateralism to strengthen international cooperation.

Further, IFOR calls once more for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to immediately appoint a new UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara 5. The vacancy at this position, and the continued wait of a credible path to a peaceful resolution, leaves the door open for the kind of negative developments seen in the last month.

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1 General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/Independence.aspx

2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-recognizing-sovereignty-kingdom-morocco-western-sahara/

3 Open Letter to the UN Secretary General on the 45th Anniversary of the Western Sahara Conflict, released on November 14th by NOVA, a local nonviolent Saharawi youth organization. 4 General Assembly resolution 11995 of 21 December 2017, adopted at the 10th Emergency Special Session.

5 IFOR Statement on the current situation in Western Sahara, released on November 13th 2020. http://www.ifor.org/news/2020/11/13/ifor-statement-on-the-current-situation-in-western-sahara

You can download the statement by clicking here.

IFOR speaks at the UN on memorialization and non-recurrence and refers to the murder of Aamaud Arvery and to the ‘Citizens Arrest Repeal Bill’

On September 17th the Main representative of IFOR delivered an oral statement at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council, during the interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on truth and justice and spoke on the reconciliation process, memorialization and non-recurrence referring to systemic racism and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

In June 2020, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution entitled "The promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and people of African descent," which makes the following request, among others:

"Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the assistance of relevant Special Mandate Holders, to prepare a report on systemic racism, violations of international human rights law against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, especially those incidents that resulted in the death of George Floyd and other Africans and people of African descent, to contribute to accountability and redress for victims . . . ."

-June 19, 2020 resolution at paragraph 3.-

As a first step, the Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation, and Healing of Coastal Georgia (Jubilee) and the Georgia chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation USA (FOR USA), the USA branch of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), prepared reports. The Jubilee and FOR USA reports were for consideration by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, upon the occasion of the report entitled "Memorialization processes in the context of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law: the fifth pillar of transitional justice" addressing, among other things, transitional justice with respect to past crimes committed "by a repressive regime." 

Under the rubric of memorialization, the Jubilee and FOR USA reports describe a Community Remembrance Project, with Equal Justice Initiative of Montgomery, Alabama, to remember all the lynchings in Glynn County, Georgia (where Mr. Arbery was murdered) and, possibly, other nearby counties.

Concerning the guarantee of non-recurrence, the reports describe efforts to abolish citizen's arrest in the State of Georgia and in jurisdictions throughout the United States, including Georgia State Representative Carl Scott Gilliard’s State of Georgia House Bill 1203.

These reports by the Center for Jubilee and FOR USA then became the basis for comments by the IFOR’s Main Representative in Geneva, Ms. Zaira Zafarana, in dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, a transcript of which follows.

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Human Rights Council, 45th Session
Geneva, 17th September 2020
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
Oral statement delivered by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Vice President,

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR thanks the Special Rapporteur for his report and agrees on the “crucial role played by memorialization processes to respond adequately to past crimes and prevent their recurrence.” [1]

One of the key principles of nonviolence is: learn from the past. Reconciliation is based on truth and justice; thus the recognition of human rights violations and the voices of the victims play a key role in the construction of memory.

Transitional justice and memorialization processes can help to understand and assess human rights violations  and soothe wounds to heal, foster responsible social dialogue, and reinforce the rule of law. This will also address the underlying roots of the conflict, such as inequalities and discrimination, to prevent the resurgence of violence and to build long-lasting peace.

Enabling society to regain trust and initiating a process of reconciliation need a surgical action on unemployment, distrust, phobia, violence and hatred [that have become endemic].

Systemic racism is sustained by a serious deficiency in the process of memorialization which limits guarantee of non-recurrence.

On June 5, 2020 Georgia State Representatives [2] co-sponsored the ‘Citizens Arrest Repeal Bill’; this 1863 law has allowed U.S. private citizens, [persons who are not law-enforcement officials,] to use this policy to discriminate against African Americans. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery[3] is one case.

IFOR shares the SR’s concern on “a toxic political culture”[4] and welcomes His recommendations to bring about a  Culture of Peace.

Thank you.

[1] https://undocs.org/A/HRC/45/45.

[2] Carl Scott Gilliard, Roger Bruce, Don Hogan, William Bodie and Gerald Green.

[3] On February 23rd 2020, in Glynn County, State of Georgia, USA.

[4] https://undocs.org/A/HRC/45/45..

You can download the original statement here.

You can watch the recording of the session here. IFOR's statement is at 01:50:21

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Case of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law

Ahmaud Arbery was on a jog in the early afternoon of Sunday, February 23, 2020, in the Satilla Shores neighborhood of Glynn County, Georgia, USA. Members of the Satilla Shores citizen patrol, including recently retired law enforcement personnel, began pursuing Mr. Arbery with their pickup trucks and guns, including a gun issued by the Glynn County Police Department. Mr. Arbery was chased and terrorized throughout the neighborhood and ultimately shot to death in a public street.

Mr. Arbery was unarmed, wearing a t-shirt and jogging shorts. Glynn County Police Department officers came to the scene of the killing, but no arrests were made. For weeks thereafter, no arrests were made. Eventually, a State of Georgia prosecutor reached back to Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, first enacted in the slavery era soon after President Lincoln had issued the final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, to determine that the Satilla Shores citizen patrol’s killing of Mr. Arbery had been a justifiable homicide.

More info about the research and work on this issue by the USA branch of IFOR is available here.