38th FIDH Congress
23-27 May 2013
Istanbul (Turkey)
Introduced by the Malian Association for Human Rights FIDH,
meeting on the occasion of its XXXVIII Congress in Istanbul, Turkey,
Concerned about the political, security and humanitarian situation in Mali; Considering the military intervention initiated on 10 January 2013 by the French army and requested by Malian authorities after 8 months of occupation of ¾ of the territory by armed groups from the National Movement of Azawad an Jihadist armed groups;
Considering the numerous violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in Mali since January 2012;
Having condemned the CNDRE military coup of 22 March 2012;
Considering the opening on 16 January 2013 of an inquiry by the International Criminal Court on crimes committed within its jurisdiction in the country;
Considering the adoption of a roadmap on 29 January by the National Assembly, including the holding of legislative and presidential elections on 7 and 31 July and the creation of a Commission for National Reconciliation;
Considering the decisions of ECOWAS, the African Union and the Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2100 of 25 April 2013 establishing the International Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MISMA), and including the deployment of observers and protection officers of human rights in Mali;
Recalling that the security situation remains unstable today in the North of the country, marked in particular by the ongoing attacks and extrajudicial executions;
FIDH, meeting on the occasion of its XXXVIII Congress in Istanbul, Turkey :
– Condemns the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in Mali, particularly in 2012 and 2013;
– Calls the armed groups and militias to disarm and stop all violations of human rights;
– Calls for the organisation of truly free, multi-party and transparent elections in a secure and peaceful context;
– Calls on the authorities to guarantee that human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, in particular freedom of expression, opinion, cultural rights and peaceful demonstration in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international human rights mecanisms from which Mali is a party of;
– Urges all parties to ensure the physical and moral integrity of human rights defenders;
– Calls on authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes, including within the Malian army if required, respecting the defence rights and the rights of detainees particularly in the context of the fight against the armed groups;
– Calls on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to continue the investigation on Mali in cooperation with the Malian justice, according to Article 17 of the Rome Statute;
– Calls on the Commission for dialogue and reconciliation to implement the principles recognised by transitional justices ensuring victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparation allowing to implement efficient guarantees for the non-repetition of human rights violations, which is the path to national reconciliation.