1948
- 2002
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrates its
54th anniversary
Paris,
December 10
As conflict
in Iraq looms on the horizon (the consequences of which would
set the region ablaze), the harmful aspects of economic globalisation
are affecting individuals rights more and more, and those defending
those same rights (trade unionists, NGOs, social protest movements…)
are threatened daily, the struggle for the universal principles
within the UDHR is more than ever of topical concern.
All throughout
this week, the FIDH is publishing a series of reports and the
various stances it has taken, whose themes illustrate the diversity
of the struggles led by our organisation for over 80 years.
"Iraq
: no to the American war"
The International
Bureau of the FIDH adopted a resolution made public on MondayDecember 9. This resolution confirms that the atrocities
committed under the Iraqi regime, and the suffering of the
Iraqi people because of the continuing embargo which is both
absurd and criminal, would in no way be improved by a new
war based mainly on American business interests.
"International
Criminal Court : No to the American exception"
The FIDH
denounces the unilateral attitude of the United States in relation
to the International Criminal Court (ICC) which entered into
force on July 1, 2002. The FIDH Position report n° 8 on
the ICC published on Tuesday December 10, shows to what
extent the United States fear the setting up of the first international
criminal jurisdiction on a permanent basis. Military threats,
economic pressure, bilateral agreements; the U.S. administration
is doing all in its power to guarantee that U.S. nationals will
never be brought before the ICC.
"Where
do the "floating dustbins" end up ?"
While the
Prestige catastrophe is making media headlines, the FIDH report
published on Wednesday December 11, concentrates on the
rights of the workers in the demolition yards where the "floating
dustbins" end up. Shipbreaking yards abound on the coasts
of Bangladesh and India. There, cargo and other ships at the
end of their life cycle are taken apart by workers labouring
in unacceptable conditions.
"Algeria
: formal pluralism and barriers to freedom of association"
The FIDH
investigative report published on Thursday December 12,
emphasises violations in Algeria of the freedom of association
(obstruction to the setting up of trade unions, refusal to register,
interdiction of holding meetings, police violence, closing of
premises). Economic and social problems in Algeria can in no
way justify the measures and practices observed during this
mission.
On this
very day the FIDH is opening a website (in the framework of
the 2003 season), which gives a view of the long and tragic
history of Franco-Algerian relations, without concealing any
fact (2003 A year of Algeria in France: for truth, justice,
yesterday and today).
>>>http://www.fidh.org/dz2003/
"Turkey
: judicial harassment towards Human Rights defenders"
In the framework
of its joint programme with the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMTC), the Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders,
the FIDH is publishing on Friday December 13, a mission
report which shows the obstacles which human rights defenders
in Turkey come up against (judicial proceedings, barriers to
the registering of associations, closing down of NGOs, illegal
searches and seizing of documents, defamatory campaigns). The
question of respecting freedom of association should be at the
heart of the current debate on Turkey's adhesion to the European
Union.
