by Kristopher Seals
UNITED STATES: Use of Force on Protesters Decried
People taking part in peaceful demonstrations across the United States, and journalists covering these protests, should not be subjected to disproportionate use of force or other violations, the UN human rights office said on July 24.
Spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell was answering a reporter’s question about the US authorities deploying federal security officers to various cities to quell demonstrations against racial injustice, sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
“Peaceful demonstrations that have been taking place in cities in the US, such as Portland, really must be able to continue without those participating in them – and also, the people reporting on them, the journalists – risking arbitrary arrest or detention, being subject to unnecessary, disproportionate or discriminatory use of force, or suffering other violations of their rights,” said Ms. Throssell.
Regarding reports about unidentified police officers detaining protestors, she said “that is a worry because it may place those detained outside the protection of the law, and may give rise to arbitrary detention and other human rights violations.”
Ms. Throssell said federal and local security forces must be properly and clearly identified. They also should use force only when necessary and in accordance with international standards.
“Also, it is important that any victims of unnecessary or excessive use of force do have the right to remedy, and there should be, as we often say, prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into any allegations of human rights violations, and that should ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” she added.
In light of demonstrations across the world, the UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been analyzing the right to peaceful assembly.
EUROPE: Huge Budget Mulled by EU
In the debate with Council and Commission Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, a deal reached at the recent European Council meeting on the recovery fund was qualified as “historic” by many MEPs as for the first time, member states have agreed to issue €750 billion of joint debt. With cuts made to the long-term budget (multiannual financial framework, MFF) however, most were “not happy.”
“We are not ready to swallow the MFF pill,” said Manfred Weber (EPP). Also, S&D leader Iratxe García would not accept the cuts, “not at a time when we need to strengthen our strategic autonomy and reduce disparities between Member states.”
Many highlighted that the question of reimbursing the debt was not resolved. MEPs insisted that the burden must not fall on the citizens, and that a robust system of new own resources including a digital tax or levies on carbon for the repayment must be guaranteed, with a binding calendar.
Furthermore, many underlined that “the EU is not a cash machine for national budgets”, deploring that “frugal” countries do not want to pay the price for benefiting from the single market, and insisting that no funds should go to “pseudo-democratic” governments which do not respect the rule of law and EU values.
Others were more skeptical about new own resources generating enough to repay all the debt and warned that the crisis should not be used as a pretext for further EU integration. Most however stressed that Parliament is ready for swift negotiations to make the necessary improvements to the Council’s common position.
The main budget in question is set at approximately $1 trillion euros, or about $1,172,355,000.00 in US dollars, in addition to the relief funds.
MIDDLE EAST: Syrian Detention Draws Concern
Families of the more than 130,000 people believed to be detained and forcibly disappeared in Syria, are deeply frustrated by the Security Council’s failure to unite and make progress on the issue, the 15-member organ was told on July 23.
Wafa Ali Mustafa, a Syrian journalist, activist and member of Families for Freedom, which campaigns for the release of Syrian detainees, said their numbers are still growing as the Syrian government and armed groups continue to use detention “as a weapon to terrorize civilians” in violation of international law.
Among those detainees is her father, Ali Mustafa, a human rights defender who has not been seen or heard from, since he disappeared in July 2013. “We have never been told why he was taken from us or where he’s being held,” she said.
“To have a loved one who’s detained or disappeared, and not to know their fate, is like waking up one day and realizing that you have lost a limb,’ said Ms. Mustafa, briefing a video-teleconference Council on political aspects of the war in Syria that erupted in 2011.
“I can tell you, it is a growing pain, a pain unlike any other,” she said.
She said that families of detainees are “deeply frustrated” by the Council’s collective inaction and abdication of responsibility to address a crime against humanity.
“My colleagues have shared our stories and demands with you, but to this date no progress has been made,” she said, emphasizing that the COVID-19 pandemic – and the risk of the virus spreading fast in detention facilities – is cause for added urgency.
“We hear excuses about the need to prioritize other humanitarian or political issues in Syria, that now is not the time to focus on detainees. But all these issues are connected – and this Council can and must address them all at once.”
She urged the Council to put pressure on the Syrian authorities and others to immediately release the names of all people in detention, along with their locations and situations.
“Torture and mistreatment must immediately cease, and detainees must be allowed routine contact with their families,” she said, adding that the families of any detainees who have deceased must be informed of the circumstances of their passing and given access to burial sites.
Geir O. Pedersen, the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Syria, also briefing the Council, said the issue of detainees, abductees and the missing requires sustained and meaningful action, in line with international law.
Such action – on a topic that touches all Syrian families – can help build confidence in society, as well as between the parties and international stakeholders, he said, speaking ahead of a planned reconvening of the UN-facilitated Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in August.
AFRICA
Stopping Terrorists
Nearly 20 million illicit pharmaceutical items were taken off the market in a regional operation coordinated by INTERPOL across the Middle East and North Africa.
Biometric data from terrorist suspects arrested in joint operations involving Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso is being shared via INTERPOL to identify potential links with other terrorist attacks and suspects across the region and beyond.
On May 24, Operation Comoé took place northeast of Ferkessédougou, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and at the Alidougou terrorist base south of Banfora, Burkina Faso resulting in the arrest of 24 suspects in Burkina and 16 individuals in Côte d’Ivoire, who were then handed over to the intelligence services.
Following a terrorist attack in Kafolo, Côte d’Ivoire on June 11, in which several soldiers were killed, a second counter-terrorism (CT) operation was conducted. Nearly 30 suspected terrorists were arrested, including Ali Sidibe Ali aka ‘Sofiane’ who lead the attack, in addition to the seizure of weapons, ammunition, USB keys and mobile phones.
Further to a request for assistance from Côte d’Ivoire, between June 12 and 17, specialized officers from INTERPOL’s Regional Counter Terrorism Node for Western and Central Africa (RCTN WCAF) in Abidjan trained officers from the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), the forensic and penitentiary services on using biometric data collection equipment.
Digital forensic support was also provided in order to analyze data collected from the seized USBs and telephones.
To date, biometric data on 37 of the suspects arrested in the counter-terrorism operations has been entered into INTERPOL’s databases and circulated to all 194 member countries to identify potential links with other attacks and individuals.
