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October 1, 2011
Human Rights Council: 18th Session
Item 6: Consideration of Universal Periodic Review Report on
Somalia
Oral Intervention
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
21 September 2011
Delivered
by Mr. Hassan Shire Sheikh, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights
Defenders Network
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and the
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network commend
Somalia’s engagement with the UPR process and the inclusion
of a Puntland representative in the delegation to the Working
Group, and congratulate its willingness to accept all recommendations.
Among the many recommendations received, we urge the TFG, and
Puntland and Somaliland institutions to prioritize the need
for justice for serious violations of international humanitarian
and human rights law committed by all parties.
We welcome therefore the recommendation to establish an independent
international commission of inquiry or similar mechanism to
investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity, and call
on the authorities to ensure that those responsible for atrocities
are brought to justice in fair trials and respecting due process.
As the Government recognized during the Working Group, “it is
not only a political imperative but also a social necessity
to deal with the legacies of past atrocities, justice and reconciliation.”
This justice must be impartial and independent in order to rebuild
robust state institutions fit to deal with the serious challenges
facing the country, such as the continuing food crisis.
In common with other civilians in Somalia, civil society actors
have been the victims of indiscriminate violence, but they have
also been targeted on account of their work. The particular
dangers facing human rights defenders and journalists were recognized
by a number of delegations during the review. A sad confirmation
of this was an attack just last week on a Somali journalist
was shot four times as she left her office and left in a critical
condition. Authorities in Somalia should urgently carry out
effective and impartial investigations into all killings and
attacks on journalists and civil society actors in the areas
under their control.
Along with Somaliland and Puntland, Somalia should respect
and protect freedom of expression and end all practices that
put this right at risk. In addition to investigating and preventing
violent attacks and threats against independent journalists
and human rights defenders, this means allowing human rights
defenders and journalists to carry out their legitimate activities
freely, ending all forms of censorship and the frequent closures
of independent radio stations. We look forward to seeing the
implementation of the UPR recommendations in this regard.
Thank you.
Additional Somalia UPR Resources
Report of UPR working group on Somalia: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/18session/A-HRC-18-6_en.pdf
Somalia UPR webcast of Review and Adoption: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/SOWebArchives.aspx
Somalia UPR documentation: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR%5CPAGES%5CSOSession11.aspx
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