UN – Governments Must Be More Attentive to People’s Voices – Gender

The following statement has been issued by a group of United Nations independent
human rights experts* (*) The Independent Expert on human rights and extreme
poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda; the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of
opinion and expression, Frank La Rue; the Special Rapporteur on the situation
of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya; the Special Rapporteur on the
independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul; the Special Rapporteur on
torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan
Méndez; the Special Rapporteur

GENEVA (3 February 2011) – “Recent events in several countries are an
expression of the frustration felt by many individuals whose voices have been
neglected or ignored by their own Governments.

Over the past several weeks, men and women in many countries, including
Belarus, Egypt and Tunisia, have expressed grievances related to, among others,
lack of employment opportunities and infringements on the right to an adequate
standard of living, including the rights to food and housing, which have been
exacerbated by the increasing cost of food and other basic commodities. They
have also denounced the denial of their right to participate meaningfully in
decision-making, underscoring the indivisibility of all human rights: civil,
cultural, economic, political and social.

We are alarmed at increasing limitations on the right to freedom of
expression and information imposed by Governments actively seeking to suppress
the rising number of voices who wish to be heard. We are particularly concerned
by ill-treatment and arbitrary arrests of protesters, journalists, human rights
defenders and lawyers. We are disturbed at the major disruptions in
communication networks and transmissions of news so essential to the modern
world.

The freedoms of peaceful assembly and association are among the most
fundamental rights underpinning a democratic society. We applaud the Human
Rights Council for having confirmed this by creating a new human rights
mechanism and look forward to the appointment of the expert who will be tasked
to uphold these rights.

Notwithstanding this, we deeply deplore the tragic loss of lives and
injuries as a result, in some cases, of the excessive use of force against
peaceful demonstrators. We urge Governments to abide by international
standards, including those on the use of force and firearms. Prompt and
impartial investigations into any related deaths or injuries are of the utmost
importance to bring the perpetrators to justice and protect human rights under
the rule of law is paramount.

As the recent turmoil has demonstrated, ignoring the root causes of such
protests is unsustainable, and concerted, effective and prompt action must be
taken domestically and internationally to provide an avenue for peaceful
redress of human rights grievances, including the enjoyment of economic, social
and cultural rights. We stand ready to assist the respective countries in any
appropriate manner.”

(*) The Independent Expert on human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena
Sepúlveda; the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and
expression, Frank La Rue; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya; the Special Rapporteur on the independence
of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul; the Special Rapporteur on torture and
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan Méndez; the
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof
Heyns; and the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, El
Hadji Malick Sow.

END

“Special procedures” is the general name of the independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific
country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Currently,
there are 31 thematic and 8 country mandates, with 55 mandate holders. The
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides these mechanisms with
support for the fulfillment of their mandates.