IFOR briefs the UN Human Rights Committee on the right to conscientious objection in Russia.

On October 17th the International Fellowship of Reconciliation participated in the formal briefing at the 136th session of the UN Human Rights Committee.

During the ongoing session, after two postponements, the members of the Committee will review the Russian Federation and formulate Concluding Observations.

Members of the Civil Society have been invited to submit reports in advance and to participate in briefing meetings with the Committee to provide useful information.

IFOR took advantage of the 4 minutes speaking opportunity to report on illegal recruitment, cruel treatment of refusers to combat operations in Ukraine, human rights violations of those protesting against the war and other related issues.

Read the complete text of IFOR's statement here, with in-depth notes.

Recap of IFOR participation in the 49th UN Human Rights Council

The International Secretariat is pleased to present a summary of IFOR's recent involvement at the UN, in particular at the Human Rights Council. 

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly and meets three times a year at the UN Office in Geneva. 

The  49th  session of the UN Human Rights Council has just concluded its working meetings. The session started on  February 28th and ended on  April 1st and the participation of the member States and civil society representatives has been hybrid mode. 

The session was characterized by an urgent debate on the situation in Ukraine; the issue of the war moved by Russia on Ukraine has been part of the following working session debates.

What follows is a list of the oral statements delivered or co-sponsored by IFOR during the session. At this session IFOR addressed issues such as the resistance to war, the right to conscientious objection, nuclear disarmament, peace negotiations, nonviolent action and presented cases referring to the specific issues in Ukraine, Eritrea, Colombia, Greece, Turkey, Western Sahara… IFOR has also taken the floor to speak about the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó on its 25th anniversary, highlighting specific struggles and violations of human rights it is currently facing.

*On April 7th 2022 the UN General Assembly has voted to suspend Russian UN HRC membership as a response to Russia invasion of and alleged rights abuses in Ukraine

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IFOR joins "Appeal for Peace in Ukraine" at the UN

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IFOR takes the floor at the UN Human Rights Council on war resisters and nuclear threat

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IFOR joins statement at the UN on Western Sahara

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IFOR addresses the UN Human Rights Council on the right to refuse to kill

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IFOR speaks at the UN about the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó on its 25th anniversary

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IFOR raises concern at the UN over forced conscription in Eritrea

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IFOR speaks at the UN calling on Greece to comply with conscientious objection international standards

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"WAR SHOULD BE ABOLISHED!" IFOR speaks up at the UN on the right to conscientious objection in wartime

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IFOR speaks at the UN on the fundamental rights of the people of Western Sahara

Click on the image for more information and to read the original statement

IFOR has also submitted a written statement to the 49th UN Human Rights Council concerning the Peace Community of San Joseé de Apartado and human rights violations.

You can read here this report "Colombia: New Threats Against The Peace Community Of San Jose De Apartado On Its 25th Anniversary", which has been received by the Secretary-General and has been circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, and registered officially on the UN website as A/HRC/49/NGO/239 .

You can read more about the 25th anniversary of the Peace Community here.

For information on IFOR's work at the UN you can contact its coordinator at zaira.zafarana@ifor.org

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IFOR joins statement at the UN on Western Sahara

On the occasion of the opening debate of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which took place in Geneva on March 8th, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation joined a statement delivered by the American Association of Jurists, on behalf of the NGOs Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara.

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Item 2 – Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights General debate 

I thank you, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of a group of more than 300 organisations (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org); including the Sahrawi National Commission of Human  Rights. 

We express our deepest concern about the continuing systematic and serious violations of human  rights and International Humanitarian Law norms committed by the Kingdom of Morocco in the  occupied Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara. 

The illegal plundering of the Saharawi natural resources continues with the support in particular  of the member countries of the European Union, in violation of the decisions of the Court of  Justice of the European Union. 

Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists and political prisoners are subjected to harassment,  threats, arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, torture, sexual violence. Peaceful manifestations in the  Occupied Western Sahara are violently repressed. The use of drones has caused the death of civilians of different nationalities. 

The inexplicable silence observed by the Office of the High Commissioner regrettably supports  the persistent impunity enjoyed by the Kingdom of Morocco for the crimes committed in the  Occupied Western Sahara. 

I thank you for your attention. 

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Point 2 – Rapport annuel du Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme Débat général 

Je vous remercie, 

J'ai l'honneur de parler au nom d'un groupe de plus de 300 organisations  (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org) ; y compris la Commission Nationale Sahraouie des Droits  de l'Homme. 

Nous exprimons notre plus vive préoccupation quant aux violations systématiques et graves des  droits de l'homme et des normes du Droit International Humanitaire commises par le Royaume  du Maroc dans le Territoire Non Autonome occupé du Sahara Occidental. 

Le pillage illégal des ressources naturelles du peuple Sahraoui continue avec le soutien en  particulier des pays membres de l’Union européenne, en violation des décisions de la Cour de  Justice de l’Union européenne. 

Les défenseurs des droits de l'homme, les journalistes et les prisonniers politiques sahraouis sont  soumis au harcèlement, aux menaces, aux arrestations arbitraires, aux mauvais traitements, à la  torture, aux violences sexuelles. Les manifestations pacifiques au Sahara occidental occupé sont  violemment réprimées. L’utilisation de drones a causé la mort de civils de différentes  nationalités. 

L’inexplicable silence observé par le Haut-Commissariat vient malheureusement conforter  l'impunité persistante dont jouit le Royaume du Maroc pour les crimes commis au Sahara  Occidental occupé.

Je vous remercie pour votre attention.  

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Tema 2 – Informe anual del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos  Humanos 

Debate general 

Muchas gracias, 

Tengo el honor de hablar en nombre de un grupo de más de 300 organizaciones  (www.genevaforwesternsahara.org); incluida la Comisión Nacional Saharaui de Derechos  Humanos. 

Expresamos nuestra más profunda preocupación por las sistemáticas y graves violaciones de los  derechos humanos y de las normas del Derecho Internacional Humanitario cometidas por el  Reino de Marruecos en el Territorio No Autónomo ocupado del Sahara Occidental. 

El saqueo ilegal de los recursos naturales del pueblo saharaui continúa con el apoyo en particular  de los países miembros de la Unión Europea, en violación de las decisiones del Tribunal de  Justicia de la Unión Europea. 

Los defensores de los derechos humanos, los periodistas y los presos políticos saharauis son  objeto de acoso, amenazas, detenciones arbitrarias, malos tratos, tortura, violencia sexual. Las  manifestaciones pacíficas en el Sáhara Occidental ocupado son reprimidas con violencia. El uso  de drones ha causado la muerte de civiles de diferentes nacionalidades. 

El inexplicable silencio observado por la Oficina del Alto Comisionado lamentablemente  respalda la persistente impunidad de la que goza el Reino de Marruecos por los crímenes  cometidos en el Sáhara Occidental Ocupado. 

Les agradezco su atención. 

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Click here to read the complete text of the statement.

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Western Sahara case

1963                 Western Sahara was integrated to the list of Non Self-Governing Territories (NSGT) by the Special Committee on decolonization (C24), the proposal was endorsed by the UN General Assembly (resolution 1956).

1966                 Adoption of resolution 2229 by the UN General Assembly, which invited the Administering Power (Spain) to determine at the earliest possible date the procedures for the holding of a referendum with a view to enabling the indigenous population of the Territory to exercise freely its right to self-determination; Spain failed in its mandate as Administering Power and never organized the referendum.

6 Nov. 1975       the International Court of Justice (ICJ) released its Advisory opinion requested by the UN General Assembly on the legal status of Western Sahara: the Court asserted that the materials and information presented to it do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco. Thus the Court has not found legal ties of such a nature as might affect the application of resolution 1514 (XV) in the decolonization of Western Sahara and, in particular, of the principle of self-determination through the free and genuine expression of the will of the peoples of the Territory.

                        Hassan II launched the military invasion of Western Sahara, followed by thousands of civilians (Green March).

                        Adoption of resolution 380 by the UN Security Council, which called upon Morocco immediately to withdrawn from the Territory of Western Sahara all the participants in the march.

NOTE: From then on, Western Sahara became (and still is today) the only NSGT which is under foreign illegal military occupation.

26 Febr. 1976     Spain informed the UN Secretary General that as of that date it had terminated its presence in Western Sahara and relinquished its responsibility over the Territory.

NOTE: From then on, Western Sahara became (and still is today) the only NSGT which has not an internationally recognised Administering Power: de jure, Spain should still be considered as the Administering Power, de facto, the UN has the primary responsibility over the Territory.

1979                 Mauritania signed a peace agreement with the Polisario Front and withdrew from the Territory.

                        Adoption of resolution 34/37 by the UN General Assembly, which deeply deplored the aggravation of the situation resulting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory evacuated by Mauritania. The General Assembly also recognized the Polisario Front as the representative of the people of Western Sahara.

1980                 Adoption of resolution 35/19 by the UN General Assembly, which declared that it was deeply concerned at the aggravation of the situation deriving from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and reiterated the appeal to Morocco to terminate the occupation of Western Sahara.

. . . continue reading about Western Sahara case, and recent developments, in English, Spanish and French on the website of the Geneva Support Group

IFOR joins "Appeal for Peace in Ukraine" at the UN

On February 28th the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council started its working session and on March 3rd and 4th an Urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, stemming from the Russian aggression.

You can watch here the plenary meeting of the mentioned urgent debate with the interventions of member states and NGOs.

On March 8th, during the General Debate with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Madam Bachelet, IFOR joined 20 other NGOs in an "Appeal for Peace in Ukraine", delivered by the Associazione Papa Giovanni XXIII.

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49th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, 28 February – 1 April 2022 Item 2: General Debate with the High Commissioner on Human Rights  Joint Oral statement delivered by: Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23) Co-signing NGOs1:  

Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23); Association Points-Cœur; AVSI  Foundation; Baptist World Alliance (BWA); Center for Global Nonkilling; Confédération  Internationale Société de Saint Vincent de Paul; Conscience and Peace Tax International  (CPTI); Dominicans for Justice and Peace (Order of Preachers); Dominican Leadership  Conference; Edmund Rice International; Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture;  ICMICA-MIIC Pax Romana; International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE); International  fellowship of Reconciliation – IFOR; International Organization for the Right to Education  and freedom of Education (OIDEL); International Volunteerism Organization for Women  Education and Development (VIDES International); Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice  (IIMA); MIAMSI; Mouvement contre le Racism et pour l’Amitiéentre les Peuples (MRAP);  New Humanity. 

“Appeal for Peace in Ukraine” 

Madam High Commissioner,  

I speak on behalf of 20 NGOs to express our extreme dismay at the military action that is currently  unfolding in Ukraine. We would like to echo your appeal2 of February 24 that urges an immediate halt to  hostilities that puts countless civilian lives at risk.  

We bring into this room the voice of the defenceless victims of conflicts, whose human rights are being  violated. 

We would like to recall the 2016 Declaration on the Right to Peace3 that affirms “Everyone has the right  to enjoy peace such that all human rights are promoted and protected and development is fully realized.” 

We believe that a process of disarmament is needed in order to guarantee peace. All countries involved in  the security architecture of Europe must commit to the reduction of strategic and non-strategic nuclear  weapons stored in the continent. Moreover, the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should be  signed and implemented by all States.  

We appeal to the UN, the international community, all parties to strive for an end to the fighting in Ukraine  by enforcing international law and finding a solution to the conflict based on the principle of peaceful  settlement of disputes. 

“War is a “scourge”… It is an adventure without return that compromises humanity's present and threatens  its future… War is always a defeat for humanity”4 

No one has the right to make a war, yet we all have the duty to build peace. 

Thank You! 

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1 NGOs not accredited to ECOSOC supporting this statement: 1. Japan Committee for the Right to Peace 2 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=28153&LangID=E 

3 A/RES/71/189 

4 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraph 497

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Click here to download the official statement.

To watch live or recorded the Human Rights Council you can click here.

IFOR reports to the UN Human Rights Committee on the violations of the right to conscientious objection to military service in Bolivia and Israel

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation has prepared two reports regarding military service and conscientious objection issues in Bolivia and in Israel and it has submitted them to the UN Human Rights Committee to be considered for the 134th session which will take place in March and will include the review of those two States. 

Bolivia does not have a domestic legislative framework for conscientious objectors.

At the end of compulsory military service and voluntary military service, the "libreta militar" is issued. This document is required to enter university, to obtain a university degree, to access jobs with the public administration and private companies, to obtain a passport and to obtain a citizenship card free of charge.

In Bolivia, there is a very favourable perception of the role of the Armed Forces and, therefore, of the need for compulsory military service as the place where the development of youth in political, labour and socio-cultural aspects is initiated and completed.

Israel fails to recognise the right to conscientious objection to military service, in accordance with the international human rights standards. In practice, Israel does not recognise someone as a conscientious objector unless he/she is considered by the Special Military Committee as “clearly pacifistic”.

Worth noting that even conscientious objectors with explicit pacifistic views are not recognised and are punished in case they cite anything that can be perceived by the Special Military Committee as “ideological and political beliefs”, for example any opposition to the occupation of Palestinian territories, or the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel.

The OHCHR has explicitly stated that “States should ensure that the right to object applies both to pacifists and to selective objectors who believe that the use of force is justified in some circumstances but not in others”

IFOR recommended in its submission:

a. The special Committee deciding on conscientious objection applications should be made fully independent, including being separate by the military authorities and entirely civilian, and proceedings should provide for a right to appeal against negative decisions to independent administrative and judicial bodies.

b. Recognise in law and practice the right to conscientious objection, including selective objection, in accordance with international law and human rights standards.

c. Immediately cease the imprisonment of conscientious objectors, including repeated imprisonment in violation of the ne bis in idem principle (art. 14(7)) and of the right not to be subject to coercion which would impair one’s freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice (art. 18(2)).

d. Prohibit in law trials of conscientious objectors by military courts.

e. Provide full reparation to conscientious objectors whose Covenant rights have been violated.

The report includes an annex about "Known cases of imprisoned conscientious objectors since 2016"; the imprisonment of conscientious objectors to military service, apart from a violation of art. 18(1) of ICCPR, also constitutes a violation of art. 9(1) of ICCPR. The Human Rights Committee has repeatedly stated in recent years “that just as detention as punishment for the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by article 19 of the Covenant is arbitrary, so too is detention as punishment for legitimate exercise of freedom of religion and conscience, as guaranteed by article 18 of the Covenant.”

Here you can read the complete report prepared by IFOR on Bolivia, and Israel published on the UN website.

To learn more about the contribution of civil society to the State review process at the UN Human Rights Committee you are welcome to click here.

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Israel

Amnesty International has relased a special report on February 1st where it has analysed the situation in Israel and occupied palestinian territories and it has concluded that the the system detected on the ground amounts to apartheid.

Click here to read the report in several languages.

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Bolivia

At the end of January a Bolivian collective organization called CASA (Colectivo de Coordinación de Acciones Socioambientales), which is part of the RAMALC Latin American network, published a video on the perception of military service in Bolivia.

Many of the issues presented in the video, are described as well in the report submitted by IFOR to the Human Rights Committee.

Click here to watch the video

Joint press release on the UN Human Rights Committee's finding in the case of a Greek conscientious objector

IFOR, together with WRI-War Resisters' International, EBCO-European Bureau for Conscientious Objection and Connection e.V., releases today, January 18th, a joint press statement on the historical decision of the UN Human Rights Committee in the case of Lazaros Petromelidis.

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"UN Human Rights Committee finds multiple violations in a landmark case of Greek conscientious objector to military service”

On December 6th, the UN Human Rights Committee announced their decision on the case of conscientious objector Lazaros Petromelidis from Greece. The Committee found violations of the articles 9(1), 12(2), 14(7), and 18(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and asked Greece to take necessary measures addressing these violations.
As the organisations signing this statement, we welcome this decision of the Human Rights Committee.
The decision of the UN Human Rights Committee1 in a longstanding case of a Greek conscientious objector advances relevant jurisprudence and could be significant for conscientious objectors in other
countries too.

Lazaros Petromelidis had refused on ideological grounds to enlist for military service in 1992, when there was no provision for alternative civilian service in Greece. [...]

Overall, from 1992 until 2014, Lazaros Petromelidis has been convicted 5 times for insubordination, found himself in custody at least 4 times, and paid 2 financial penalties instead of imprisonment.
While it is not the first time that the Committee has examined a case involving a punitive and discriminatory alternative service,2 this is the first case where the conscientious objector has not
reported for such service at all. Furthermore, contrary to older cases, this time it was examined under, and was found to be a violation of, article 18(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), about freedom of thought, conscience and religion [...]

Worth noting also that the Committee found for the first time a violation of article 12(2) in a case of a conscientious objector who was prohibited from leaving his country, not only because of “the excessive duration of the impugned interference but also the fact that it has been imposed on the author for having legitimately exercised his right to freedom of conscience”. [...]

The Committee also consolidated its jurisprudence as of the violation of art. 9(1) about arbitrary detention as punishment for legitimate exercise of freedom of religion and conscience.

This also means that Petromelidis should have not been detained in the first place. [...]

According to the Committee’s decision, Greece is obliged to make full reparation to Petromelidis, and therefore, inter alia, to expunge the author’s criminal record, to reimburse all sums paid as fines (i.e., financial penalties instead of imprisonment) and to provide adequate compensation. [...]

The undersigned organisations expect from Greece to immediately implement the UN Human Rights Committee’s decision, both as for Petromelidis’ full reparation as well as for bringing the relevant
legislation in line with international human rights law and standards. [...] "
Read the complete press release here.

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You can have a look at the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) here.

To learn more about the current situation of conscientious objection to military service in Greece you are welcome to have a look at the latest report submitted by IFOR to the UN Human Rights Committee. Click here to read it.