International News
Following what was mentioned in its statement on March 20th, 2022, MEDEL keeps following closely the developments in Tunisia, and especially the changes to the Tunisian Judiciary.
As in that statement MEDEL expressed, the violation of the Constitution by the dissolution of the CSM and the subsequent takeover of a "provisional" CSM by the executive branch seriously undermined the rule of law, the principle of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary as enshrined in international law.
This unacceptable situation of violation of the basic principle of separation of powers further deepened with the adoption on June 1st, 2022, of a decree giving to the President of Tunisia the absolute power to summarily dismiss magistrates, which immediately led to the dismissal of 57 judges, without any due process or guarantees of defense.
The members of Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés (MEDEL) express their full solidarity with their Lebanese colleague Tarek Bitar and will follow with vigilance the evolution of the situation of the Lebanese Justice, in struggle with the political power. You can read the statement below:
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In Lebanon, the independence of justice is threatened
(Presented by the Syndicat de la Magistrature - France)
On August 4, 2020, a double explosion occurred in the port of Beirut, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 6,500 others, while devastating entire neighbourhoods of the Lebanese capital. For years, this country, at the crossroads of all cultures and in the heart of an unstable geopolitical zone, has been aspiring to peace and full democracy.
MEDEL is today taking part at the Eight Expert Forum on Criminal Justice for Central Asia, organised by OSCE/ODIHR.
Filipe Marques will take the floor at the panel on "Institutional Issues in Criminal Justice Systems".
Mariarosaria Guglielmi, Vice-President of MEDEL, will sit in the panel of judges of The Peoples Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists, opening on November 2nd.
The Indictment underlines that “[s]ince 1992, at least 1400 journalists have been killed for doing their vital job: bringing reliable information to the public. […]. In 86% of these cases, none of the perpetrators are brought to justice”.
Witnesses will include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan.
On occasion of the 19th World Day Against the Death Penalty, MEDEL co-signed with 62 other organisations of the World Coalition Against Death Penalty a joint statement on the death penalty and women's rights
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À l'occasion de la 19ème Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort, MEDEL a co-signé avec 62 autres organisations de la Coalition mondiale contre la peine de mort une déclaration conjointe sur la peine de mort et les droits des femmes.
MEDEL has been following with deep concern the events in Afghanistan. The bureau sent a letter to UNHCR, affirming MEDEL's availability to help in the settlement of all those magistrates, lawyers and human rights defenders that manage to escape.
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MEDEL suit avec une profonde inquiétude les événements en Afghanistan. Le bureau a envoyé une lettre au HCNUR, affirmant la disponibilité de MEDEL à aider à l'installation de tous les magistrats, avocats et défenseurs des droits de l'homme qui parviennent à s'échapper.
MEDEL europe supports and endorses the "International Fair Trial Day", calling for the respect of Human Rights and the right to a fair trial in Turkey.
Join the Inaugural International Fair Trial Day event today, June 14th, 2021 (15.00-17.20 CET):
- via Zoom: http://bit.ly/iftdwebinar
- on YouTube: http://bit.ly/iftdyoutube
MEDEL fully supports the statement issued on 5 May 2021 by its member association "Juezas y Jueces para la Democracia" on the situation of El Salvador and calls on the Salvadoran authorities to respect the independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law.
