Geneva Institute supports Qatar’s proposal to set up observatory

He also praised the role of the NHRC for its role in promoting human rights locally and internationally, which propelled the committee’s president to the highest ranks in terms of the Global Alliance of the National Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and the committee getting an ‘A’ ranking from the alliance.

‘Lack of justice leads to violence’QNA/DohaTheChair of the Global Alliance of the National Rights Institutions(GANHRI), Dr Carlos Negret Mosquera, said that the lack of justice anddifficulties in its administration lead to violence, fragile societies,lack of trust in institutions, human rights violations, and resentment,and disturb the social order.Delivering a speech at the conferencetitled “National, regional and international mechanisms to combatimpunity and ensure accountability under the law”, in Doha yesterday, hesaid that the protection of human rights is an obligation that requiresefforts by different social stakeholders and institutions. He added that this implies ensuring adequate access to justice to fight corruption and fully guarantee a welfare state.Hedefined Impunity as the impossibility, de jure or de facto, of bringingthe perpetrators of violations to account — whether in criminal, civil,administrative or disciplinary proceedings due to the absence of aninvestigation.He noted that the commitment to fight impunity is anunderlying obligation of national human rights institutions to guaranteeaccess to justice and due process and ensure proper investigation andthe participation of victims in the process, to implement their right tothe truth and ensure non-repetition guarantees.Mosquera stressed that national human rights institutions must act as a communication platform between society and institutions.Human rights violations going unpunished worldwide dailyQNADoha

TheChair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, AntonioPanzeri, said yesterday that the establishment of the principle ofaccountability as a central pillar of the architecture of internationaljustice will be the most important factor in winning the fight againstimpunity for serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law.Speakingat the opening session of the conference titled “National, regional andinternational mechanisms to combat impunity and ensure accountabilityunder the law,” he noted that there was no point in human history whenthe principle of accountability for serious human rights violationsfulfilled such a fundamental role in shaping national attitudes on humanrights until the present moment.  He expressed his belief that theacknowledgement and recognition in the aftermath of gross violations ofhuman rights, wherever they may occur, represent intrinsic human valuesthat may help victims of violations to at least begin to turn the page. Hemaintained that even with the progress made recently, the worldcontinues to see a huge number of human rights violations on a dailybasis that go unpunished. He stressed the importance of the value ofjustice and accountability mechanisms, but maintained that remainingvigilant at cynical manipulations of such processes by states seeking toclamp down on fundamental rights was equally important.He notedthat if the international community is to continue to tackle impunityfor serious international human rights violations, it is essential thatit uses this moment as an occasion to take stock of and promote thepositive contributions that accountability can deliver on a societallevel. He likened accountability to a soil in which peace can take root.He mentioned South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission as anexample of how a polarised society can move towards reconciliation whencompromise is understood as a virtue rather than as a weakness. Henoted that there exists today numerous national, regional andinternational mechanisms to combat impunity and ensure accountabilityfor serious human rights violations across the globe. He added that theimpact of the ad hoc international tribunals and the InternationalCriminal Court in pursuing accountability for serious human rightsviolations has demonstrated how domestic courts can be galvanised andstrengthened during the process.