Their News [Archives:2008/1136/Local News]
Danish Minister condemns any action that attempts to demonize people on the basis of their religion
Dr. Per Stig Moller, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark stressed on the importance of promoting universal adherence to human rights and as the key forum for dialogue within the United Nations on human rights issues at the seventh session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Wednesday 5 March 2008.
” t should be used to reduce misunderstandings and mistrust among different opinions, civilizations, cultures – and religions. The need for dialogue cannot be disputed. This includes dialogue on freedom of expression and freedom of religion and it means accept of differences of opinion and respect for religious feelings,” he said.
He commented that one of the yardsticks in this regard is the Universal Periodic Review to be launched next month when sixteen states are up for review. And that the Universal Periodic Review provides a unique tool in the protection and promotion of human rights through monitoring and dialogue. In this sense Denmark sees the Universal Periodic Review as a confidence building measure.
Non Governmental Organizations and National Human Rights Institutions are important stakeholders in observing and warning about human rights violations all over the world. We are therefore very pleased with the role foreseen for NGOs and National Human Rights Institutions in the Universal Periodic review. We hope they to the fullest possible extent will become actively involved in this process. Whether they represent specific concerns such as the rights of indigenous peoples, or are more broadly founded, their participation is an important element in making the Universal Periodic Review credible and facilitating dialogue.
Another yardstick will be the review at this session of Special Procedures mandates. We need to strengthen – not to weaken – the Special Procedures, their independence and efficiency. They are the eyes, they are the ears of the Human Rights Council, but are not always appreciated by states under scrutiny. All states must cooperate unreservedly with them in good faith and take their recommendations seriously.
We will counter all efforts to weaken Special Procedures mandates.
“Our society is based on democratic values and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Freedom of expression is one of the core human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and it is a necessity in a democracy. It is a right also enshrined in the Danish Constitution where censorship is prohibited. It secures the right for all citizens to express their opinions on all matters and to exert influence on the shaping and changes of the very societies in which we live.
The concrete exercise of the freedom of expression may not always be convenient for our governments. Such is democracy. And dissatisfaction with a concrete exercise of the freedom of expression can never justify death threats or indeed killing another person. In a democratic society based on the rule of law everybody must play by the rules. Decisions on whether the law is violated pertain to the courts and not to the government. It goes without saying that in a democratic society freedom of expression is one of those rights that have to be balanced against other rights,” he added.
In connection with the recent re-publication of a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad it has become clear that many Muslims have felt their religion offended.
He emphasized that the position of the Danish Government is clear: “We condemn any action that attempts to demonize people on the basis of their religion or their ethnic background. We expect all religions to respect each other. And we respect Islam as one of the world's major religions as well as their religious symbols, as we respect all religious creeds and communities,” he said.
The Danish Government takes the concerns voiced by large numbers of Muslims very seriously. We have seen demonstrations in several countries, and we listen to the intense debate going on in various fora. We appreciate that those who feel hurt have exercised their democratic rights and expressed their anger in most instances by peaceful means.
This is the way forward: Dialogue, collaboration and cultural understanding – not an endless spiral of misunderstandings and further polarization. That is why the Danish Government continues to actively promote a number of dialogue initiatives at all levels – between governments as well as among civil societies.
Denmark is already engaged in the Alliance of Civilizations. Let us use also this new laudable and important forum as a global platform for discussing how to overcome prejudice, how to overcome misconceptions, how to overcome misperceptions and polarization. In the community of man there are differences between cultures. We shall see these differences as an asset, not as an offence and learn to live with and respect these differences. But these differences must stand on common ground and that common ground is human rights.
Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration sixty years ago, new ways and means of actively exercising the right of freedom of expression have become available. The age of globalization with its access to the Internet and satellite television have provided opportunities that could not be imagined just a few years ago. We have vast and fast, formal and informal means of communication. News travel fast indeed – faster than ever before. It is an irreversible trend.
He concluded with an observation that for many years we have been talking about a “culture of impunity” – and tried to redress this culture. It is important to continue to do so unabated. But it is at least equally important to combat what I see as an emerging “culture of indifference” – a culture where we remain indifferent to the sufferings of other people, to violations of their human rights. Through human rights we must alleviate and combat the sufferings in the world. We can easily create more sufferings, but our task is to prevent the sufferings of individuals and the conflicts of the World.
International Women's Day
Global Coalition Says National Implementation of Rome Statute Critical to Ending Impunity for Violence against Women
In honor of International Women's Day, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), a global network of more than 2,500 organizations in 150 countries advocating for a fair, effective and independent International Criminal Court (ICC), today reiterated a call for governments to ensure justice for women at the national and international levels. The full implementation of the Rome Statute into national laws is an important step toward making certain the landmark standards and protections for women set out in the Rome Statute are enforced for women and girls everywhere.
Countries that have ratified the Rome Statute, or are in the process of ratifying, are strongly encouraged to bring their national laws in line with the standards enshrined in the Rome Statute, both in terms of criminalizing the serious crimes contained in the Statute and by assuring that laws make full cooperation with the Court possible.
“In this tenth anniversary year of the Rome Statute, full implementation of the Statute's robust protections for women is paramount,” said Tanya Karanasios, Program Director of the CICC. “International Women's Day marks an important opportunity for us to assess how far governments have come in fulfilling the promise of the Rome Statute's gender provisions and how far they have to go.” Since the inception of the ICC, NGOs have monitored the Court's implementation of its gender mandate, in particular regarding the investigation of gender-based crimes and crimes against women. The assessment so far has been mixed. While some arrest warrants have been met with criticism for lack of focus on gender based crimes, last year, the ICC Prosecutor announced that his investigation in the Central African Republic will focus on gender-based crimes. According to the Prosecutor, in this situation, the incidence of rape and other forms of sexual violence far outweighed the number of deaths.
“International Women's Day brings into sharper focus the urgency of the Court's work to end impunity for crimes against women,” said CICC Convenor William Pace. “But it also serves as a reminder that we need to push State Parties to the Rome Statute to continually move forward with effective and comprehensive implementation so that protections for women's rights are guaranteed at both the international and national level.”
Sexual crimes in the Rome Statute represent a historic advance for international justice: the Statute is one of the first international treaties to extensively address gender-based crimes as crimes against humanity, war crimes, and in some cases, genocide. Specifically, the Statute recognizes rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced sterilizations, gender-based persecutions, trafficking of persons particularly women and children, and sexual violence as among the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.
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