Latest news with #ImpartialandIndependentMechanism
Arab News
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
US lobbied UN rights council to dilute Pakistan's Gaza proposal, diplomats say
GENEVA: Two months after President Donald Trump announced a halt to US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Washington is influencing its work by applying pressure publicly and behind the scenes, seven diplomats and rights workers said. The United States left its seat empty during a six-week session of the 47-member council ending on Friday, but its lobbying and pressure had some success, the sources told Reuters. They said the US, which has accused the council of an anti-Israel bias, had focused on blunting a proposal by Pakistan on the creation of an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), the most rigorous type of UN investigation, on Israel's actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The version of Pakistan's proposal that was passed on Wednesday by the council, whose mission is to promote and protect human rights worldwide, did not include the creation of the IIIM. The council already has a commission of inquiry on the Palestinian Territories, but Pakistan's proposal would have created an additional probe with extra powers to gather evidence for possible use in international courts. A March 31 letter sent by Brian Mast, Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, and James R. Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cautioned against voting the proposal through. 'Any HRC member state or UN entity that supports an Israel-specific IIM ... will face the same consequences as the ICC faced,' the letter said. It appeared to be referring to sanctions approved by the House of Representatives on the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and former defence minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The final version of Pakistan's proposal referred only to an invitation to the UN General Assembly to consider an IIIM in the future. Two Geneva-based diplomats said they had received messages from US diplomats before the change of wording asking them to oppose the new investigation. 'They were saying: 'back off on this issue,'' said one, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not establish whether the revision was a direct result of US actions. A US State Department spokesperson said it was complying with the executive order signed by Trump on Feb. 4 withdrawing the US from the council and would not participate in it, adding: 'As a matter of policy, we do not comment on private diplomatic conversations.' Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment. 'The US seems to be trying to have it both ways. It doesn't want to pay for or participate in the UN but it still wants to boss it around,' said Lucy McKernan, Deputy Director for United Nations at Human Rights Watch's Geneva office. 'RAW POWER' The US and Israel are not members of the council but, like all UN member states have informal observer status and a seat in the council's meeting chamber. International human rights institutions are now at a critical juncture, said Phil Lynch, Director of International Service for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization. 'We are potentially confronting a future characterised by lawlessness and raw power,' he said. The US was once the top donor to the UN rights system, but Trump has said the UN is 'not being well run' and aid cuts by his administration have forced scalebacks. The US and Israel have also opposed the mandate of one of the council's independent experts during this session. The Israeli ambassador said on March 24 that Francesca Albanese, a critic of Israeli actions in Gaza, had breached a UN code of conduct through 'blatant antisemitic behaviour and discourse,' a diplomatic note showed. The US State Department spokesperson said Albanese was 'unfit for her role.' 'The correspondence received is under consideration,' council spokesperson Pascal Sim said, adding that whenever the council makes a nomination, 'it does so with the knowledge that the mandate-holder is expected to serve up to six years in this function.' The internal body that ensures UN experts adhere to a code of conduct condemned what it described as a coordinated campaign against Albanese, according to a letter from the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures dated 28 March. It found no evidence to support Israel's complaints against Albanese. However, it is introducing social media guidelines for UN experts in light of some concerns raised about her X posts.
Express Tribune
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US blunts Pakistan's Gaza probe proposal
Two months after President Donald Trump announced a halt to US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Washington is influencing its work by applying pressure publicly and behind the scenes, seven diplomats and rights workers said. The United States left its seat empty during a six-week session of the 47-member council ending on Friday, but its lobbying and pressure had some success, the sources told Reuters. They said the US, which has accused the council of an anti-Israel bias, had focused on blunting a proposal by Pakistan on the creation of an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), the most rigorous type of UN investigation, on Israel's actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The version of Pakistan's proposal that was passed on Wednesday by the council, whose mission is to promote and protect human rights worldwide, did not include the creation of the IIIM. The council already has a commission of inquiry on the Palestinian Territories, but Pakistan's proposal would have created an additional probe with extra powers to gather evidence for possible use in international courts. A March 31 letter sent by Brian Mast, Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, and James R Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cautioned against voting the proposal through. "Any HRC member state or UN entity that supports an Israel-specific IIM ... will face the same consequences as the ICC faced," the letter said. It appeared to be referring to sanctions approved by the House of Representatives on the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and former defence minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The final version of Pakistan's proposal referred only to an invitation to the UN General Assembly to consider an IIIM in the future. Two Geneva-based diplomats said they had received messages from US diplomats before the change of wording asking them to oppose the new investigation. "They were saying: 'back off on this issue'," said one, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not establish whether the revision was a direct result of US actions. A US State Department spokesperson said it was complying with the executive order signed by Trump on Feb 4 withdrawing the US from the council and would not participate in it, adding: "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on private diplomatic conversations." Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment. "The US seems to be trying to have it both ways. It doesn't want to pay for or participate in the UN but it still wants to boss it around," said Lucy McKernan, Deputy Director for United Nations at Human Rights Watch's Geneva office.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lobbies UN rights council forsaken by Trump, diplomats say
By Emma Farge and Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA (Reuters) - Two months after President Donald Trump announced a halt to U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Washington is influencing its work by applying pressure publicly and behind the scenes, seven diplomats and rights workers said. The United States left its seat empty during a six-week session of the 47-member council ending on Friday, but its lobbying and pressure had some success, the sources told Reuters. They said the U.S., which has accused the council of an anti-Israel bias, had focused on blunting a proposal by Pakistan on the creation of an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), the most rigorous type of U.N. investigation, on Israel's actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The version of Pakistan's proposal that was passed on Wednesday by the council, whose mission is to promote and protect human rights worldwide, did not include the creation of the IIIM. The council already has a commission of inquiry on the Palestinian Territories, but Pakistan's proposal would have created an additional probe with extra powers to gather evidence for possible use in international courts. A March 31 letter sent by Brian Mast, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and James R. Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cautioned against voting the proposal through. "Any HRC member state or U.N. entity that supports an Israel-specific IIM ... will face the same consequences as the ICC faced," the letter said. It appeared to be referring to sanctions approved by the House of Representatives on the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and former defence minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The final version of Pakistan's proposal referred only to an invitation to the U.N. General Assembly to consider an IIIM in future. Two Geneva-based diplomats said they had received messages from U.S. diplomats before the change of wording asking them to oppose the new investigation. "They were saying: 'back off on this issue'," said one, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not establish whether the revision was a direct result of U.S. actions. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it was complying with the executive order signed by Trump on Feb. 4 withdrawing the U.S. from the council and would not participate in it, adding: "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on private diplomatic conversations." Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. 'RAW POWER' The U.S. and Israel are not members of the council but, like all U.N. member states have informal observer status and a seat in the council's meeting chamber. International human rights institutions are now at a critical juncture, said Phil Lynch, Director of International Service for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization. "We are potentially confronting a future characterised by lawlessness and raw power," he said. The U.S. was once the top donor to the U.N. rights system, but Trump has said the U.N. is "not being well run" and aid cuts by his administration have forced scalebacks. The U.S. and Israel have also opposed the mandate of one of the council's independent experts up for renewal this week. The Israeli ambassador said on March 24 that Francesca Albanese, a critic of Israeli actions in Gaza, had breached a U.N. code of conduct through "blatant antisemitic behaviour and discourse", a diplomatic note showed. The U.S. State Department spokesperson said Albanese was "unfit for her role". "The correspondence received is under consideration," council spokesperson Pascal Sim said, adding that he expected Albanese's term be renewed. The internal body that ensures U.N. experts adhere to a code of conduct condemned what it described as a coordinated campaign against Albanese, according to a letter from the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures dated 28 March. It found no evidence to support Israel's complaints against Albanese. However, it is introducing social media guidelines for U.N. experts in light of some concerns raised about her X posts.
Reuters
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US lobbies UN rights council forsaken by Trump, diplomats say
GENEVA, April 4 (Reuters) - Two months after President Donald Trump announced a halt to U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Washington is influencing its work by applying pressure publicly and behind the scenes, seven diplomats and rights workers said. The United States left its seat empty during a six-week session of the 47-member council ending on Friday, but its lobbying and pressure had some success, the sources told Reuters. They said the U.S., which has accused the council of an anti-Israel bias, had focused on blunting a proposal by Pakistan on the creation of an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), the most rigorous type of U.N. investigation, on Israel's actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The version of Pakistan's proposal that was passed on Wednesday by the council, whose mission is to promote and protect human rights worldwide, did not include the creation of the IIIM. The council already has a commission of inquiry on the Palestinian Territories, but Pakistan's proposal would have created an additional probe with extra powers to gather evidence for possible use in international courts. A March 31 letter sent by Brian Mast, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and James R. Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cautioned against voting the proposal through. "Any HRC member state or U.N. entity that supports an Israel-specific IIM ... will face the same consequences as the ICC faced," the letter said. It appeared to be referring to sanctions approved by the House of Representatives on the International Criminal Court in protest at its arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and former defence minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The final version of Pakistan's proposal referred only to an invitation to the U.N. General Assembly to consider an IIIM in future. Two Geneva-based diplomats said they had received messages from U.S. diplomats before the change of wording asking them to oppose the new investigation. "They were saying: 'back off on this issue'," said one, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not establish whether the revision was a direct result of U.S. actions. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it was complying with the executive order signed by Trump on Feb. 4 withdrawing the U.S. from the council and would not participate in it, adding: "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on private diplomatic conversations." Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. 'RAW POWER' The U.S. and Israel are not members of the council but, like all U.N. member states have informal observer status and a seat in the council's meeting chamber. International human rights institutions are now at a critical juncture, said Phil Lynch, Director of International Service for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization. "We are potentially confronting a future characterised by lawlessness and raw power," he said. The U.S. was once the top donor to the U.N. rights system, but Trump has said the U.N. is "not being well run" and aid cuts by his administration have forced scalebacks. The U.S. and Israel have also opposed the mandate of one of the council's independent experts up for renewal this week. The Israeli ambassador said on March 24 that Francesca Albanese, a critic of Israeli actions in Gaza, had breached a U.N. code of conduct through "blatant antisemitic behaviour and discourse", a diplomatic note showed. The U.S. State Department spokesperson said Albanese was "unfit for her role". "The correspondence received is under consideration," council spokesperson Pascal Sim said, adding that he expected Albanese's term be renewed. The internal body that ensures U.N. experts adhere to a code of conduct condemned what it described as a coordinated campaign against Albanese, according to a letter from the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures dated 28 March. It found no evidence to support Israel's complaints against Albanese. However, it is introducing social media guidelines for U.N. experts in light of some concerns raised about her X posts.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syria's mass graves: Accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal
Shortly after the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria in December 2024, reports emerged of mass graves being uncovered in liberated areas. Grim as such discoveries are, they should come as little surprise. The scale of the regime's torture and killings in its detention facilities became evident years earlier, when in January 2014 a forensic photographer defected and left the country with a cache of 55,000 photos of people who had been tortured and died in detention. As an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, I was asked to evaluate what became known as the 'Caesar photographs.' What was clear to me then, and is even more so now, is that those photos represented a systematic approach to torturing, killing and disappearing massive numbers of people by the Assad regime. With Assad now gone, the newly formed government of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has vowed to seek justice for the crimes Syrians suffered under Assad. Doing so will be difficult, even with the civil war in Syria being one of the better monitored conflicts in recent history. Yet it is a task that is imperative for the sake of pursuing justice in a shattered country and reducing the likelihood of violence returning to Syria. Since Syria erupted into violence in 2011, several groups have been collecting evidence of human rights violations. These include the Syrian Justice and Accountability Center, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Syrian Emergency Task Force and the Commission for International Justice and Accountability. Internationally, the United Nations established an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria in 2016 to assist any investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for serious violations of international law in Syria since March 2011. Estimates of those killed since the start of civil conflict in 2011 range anywhere from 100,000 to over 600,000, with civilian deaths accounting for at least 160,000. Many of these deaths have been at the hands of the Assad regime. But different armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State group, have also been accused of atrocities. From the perspective of holding perpetrators accountable, that could complicate matters. The leader of now ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the founder of the al-Nusra Front and might not be willing to hold his group or others accountable or acknowledge the crimes of that group. There are three dimensions of accounting for the missing following conflict. First, there is the task of identifying and repatriating the remains of those in mass graves to allow family and friends to grieve. Second, the rights of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones needs to be addressed. And finally, the process needs to provide justice, accountability and reconciliation, regardless of who was responsible. But before this can take place, the question of who is responsible for the accounting needs to be addressed. Countries coming out of civil conflict have turned to different mechanisms, from truth commissions to criminal tribunals. In the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, special U.N. courts were set up to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of grievous crimes. These tribunals were created as independent judicial bodies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the crimes that had been committed during conflict. Guatemala, which emerged from a decades-long civil war in 1996, turned to national human rights and victim organizations to take the lead in a process of 'transitional justice.' This included the Commission for Historical Clarification, which through its investigation concluded that an estimated 200,000 people had been killed. The nongovernmental Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, or FAFG, has since 1993 formed a fundamental part of searching, identifying and repatriating the missing. FAFG collects personal information, DNA profiles and witness statements and is responsible for protecting the rights of victims' families in Guatemala's judicial system. Its work continues to this day. As to the Syrian civil war, a decision over the scope of any investigation into the disappeared and dead will likewise have to be made. Will it include all those missing and in mass graves in areas held by al-Nusra, the Islamic State group and other armed groups, as well as those killed by Assad? The fact that groups and individuals that now form the government could have been involved in human rights violations may risk future investigations being skewed toward just the victims of Assad. Even if the scope was narrowed to Assad's crimes, it's unclear how far back one should go. Assad rule in Syria began more than 50 years ago under Assad's father, Hafez al Assad. And killings and disappearances date back to the elder's time in power, including the 1982 massacre in the city of Hama in which an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 were killed. Another fact-finding question concerns the sharing of information between civil society groups and the state. The information gathered on the war by various NGOs so far is technically held or 'owned' by such groups, not the Syrian state. This is for a good reason, as victims trust these organizations to protect information from the perpetrators, some of whom might form part of the new government. The International Commission on Missing Persons, an NGO with its seat in the Netherlands, gained its reputation while identifying the dead from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has already collected and stored testimonies from over 76,200 Syrian relatives of more than 28,000 missing persons and has identified 66 mass grave locations. Other organizations have similar testimonies. But to what extent will these groups share their data and analysis with a future Syrian state led by a rebel group that itself is accused of human rights violations, such as arbitrary detentions and torture? At some point, the state of Syria will need to be involved in the process. Legally and in practice, the state issues a citizen's 'civil identity' through things such as a birth certificate that establish a person with rights and responsibilities. In the same manner, the state issues death certificates in which the manner of death determines any judicial reactions – such as a criminal investigation in cases where the death is due to homicide. The state is also important in resolving issues such as inheritance and widower status. Identifying the remains from the mass graves is therefore not just a 'technical' issue dependent on cutting-edge DNA laboratories and missing-persons databases. It is also something that any future Syrian state should work toward, and then own and take responsibility for. Shifting responsibility away from the state to an international body would not really help Syria develop its own accountability mechanisms or hold the government to delivering justice for the victims and their families. In my view, empowering victims in this transitional justice process needs to be a priority for the Syrian state. This includes the establishment of a transparent forensic and investigative effort to address the concerns of families searching for loved ones. It should not, I believe, be outsourced. From my experience with similar processes elsewhere, it is important that Syrians become 'experts' in all aspects of this process. No doubt, the task will take time and searching for the truth about what happened, and will involve perpetrators and victims alike. It might well be a painful and painstaking process. But it is a necessary one if postconflict Syrian is to hold to account those who attempted to 'erase' the identity of victims by disappearing them, burying them in mass graves, or leaving them under the bombed rubble of their neighborhoods. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Stefan Schmitt, Florida International University Read more: Assad leaves behind a fragmented nation – stabilizing Syria will be a major challenge for fractured opposition and external backers Syria after Assad: A fresh chance for inclusive governance and power-sharing, or more of the same? Why Syria's reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities Stefan Schmitt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
