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	UN experts call for strengthening democracy and reversing global erosion of human rights by UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR)   July 2024   Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (UN General Assembly)   In this report, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, presents her annual overview of trends and developments, as well as a thematic study focused on good practices and challenges in investigating, prosecuting and preventing wartime sexual torture, and providing rehabilitation for victims and survivors.   The Special Rapporteur considers that the torture framework has strong advantages when considering sexual aggression in wartime and other similar security situations, especially for survivors but also for investigators and prosecutors, and sets out a call for action.   The year 2024 marks the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This treaty, representing the most effective international instrument to reduce this brutal practice, is approaching universal ratification, with 174 States parties.   Over the past year there has been a devastating rise in torture and other outrages on human dignity in armed conflict. The Special Rapporteur has also received communications and/or intervened on torture cases relating to conflict in, inter alia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda and Yemen.   The general trend towards authoritarianism in this year of elections is worrying. Recent protests have been driven by a desire for political change, by the continuing cost of living crisis and by reaction to global events. In many instances peaceful protests have been policed with excessive force or violence.   Over the past year there have been protests that resulted in violence in, inter alia, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, the Congo, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkiye and the United States of America.   The Special Rapporteur welcomes the Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests, authored by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (A/HRC/55/60).   States are reminded of the call by the Special Rapporteur in her previous report (A/78/324) for a global agreement to regulate the trade in torture-capable weapons, tools and equipment widely used by law enforcement and other public authorities. Renewed diplomatic vigour is needed.   Torture and intimidation to quash dissent and political opposition continues. The repression of human rights defenders is a significant trend globally and the Special Rapporteur has received information on cases in, inter alia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Eritrea, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Palestine, Myanmar, the Russian Federation, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. These countries represent a fraction of the States in which this type of repression takes place.   As noted in the recent report by the Special Rapporteur on global prison conditions, far too many people are imprisoned, for too long, in severely overcrowded facilities in all regions.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-note-secretary-general-a79181-enarruzh   July 2024   Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders   In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, highlights the contributions made by human rights defenders to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.   In the report, she demonstrates that, across every one of the 17 Goals, human rights defenders are placing human rights at the core of sustainable development and, in doing so, are assisting States in their responsibility to leave no one behind. The Special Rapporteur highlights that this work is being made more difficult by increasing restrictions on the right to defend rights.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/report-special-rapporteur-situation-human-rights-defenders-a79123-enarruzh   June 2024   Concerted action urgently needed to save fundamental freedoms under attack: Special Rapporteur.   The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are seriously threatened today, and urgent action is needed to push back and preserve them, a UN Special Rapporteur said.   “We are witnessing widespread, systematic and intensive attack against these rights and civic space broadly, as authoritarianism, populism and anti-rights narratives are increasing,” said Gina Romero, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association.   Romero was presenting the last thematic report prepared by her predecessor, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.   The report outlines how governments have instrumentalised the adoption and/or implementation of laws, including so called “foreign agents” laws, to suppress the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. This has been done in combination with intense stigmatising campaigns to silence dissent, civil society, unions, and civic activism, including citizen’s organization and participation in peaceful protests.   “As people around the world have been increasingly exercising these rights to protect their freedoms, to resist autocracy, repression and discrimination, to build peace and democratic and responsive governance institutions, to advocate for climate justice, and express solidarity with those suffering, we witness how governments have been finding innovative ways to silence them and crash these rights,” Romero said.   The spread of armed conflicts, the severe environmental crisis, undermined electoral processes marred by populism and disinformation, and emerging and unregulated digital technologies, exacerbate the threat to the enjoyment of these rights.   “This report is a wake-up call for collective action to protect democracy and our collective values, and the enjoyment of all human rights and freedoms. Enabling civic space, hearing and protecting activists is fundamental to foster civil society contributions for tackling today’s pressing issues.” Romero said.   “I join the report’s call for a global renewed commitment to these rights. Through the establishment of this mandate 14 years ago, the Human Rights Council reiterated its commitment for the protection of these fundamental freedoms, and it is urgent today that the Council reinforce the mandate’s capacity to continue effectively protecting these rights, especially in the emerging crises.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/concerted-action-urgently-needed-save-fundamental-freedoms-under-attack http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-expert-launches-new-tools-law-enforcement-foster-peaceful-protest   Civil society crucial to combat polarisation and inequality, says Independent Expert   Civil society organisations are the engine of international solidarity and urgently need increased protection and support, a UN Special Procedures mandate holder said today.   “As we confront negative global trends of polarisation, and the highest levels of inequality around the world at present, the need for civil society actions are more urgent than ever,” said Cecilia Bailliet, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, in a report to the Human Rights Council.   Civil society actions include intersectoral solidarity approaches combining issues such as protection of the environment, access to fair housing, and women’s rights.   “These International Solidarity coalitions challenge injustice and call for transformative changes within political and economic structures, seeking to empower the agency of vulnerable individuals and groups,” Bailliet said.   She criticised “the expansion of the use of censorship, disinformation, harassment, blacklisting, doxing, deportation, denial of entry or exit visas, defunding, red-tagging, criminal prosecution (including as foreign agents), denial of access to education, surveillance, asset freezing, defunding, overly broad restrictive registration and reporting of CSOs, and blocking of access to digital platforms to block the exchange of international solidarity ideas under the guise of security”.   “I believe that States should choose to pursue best practices of international solidarity policies, which would include showing clemency to opposing voices within our societies. Social solidarity governmental institutions should protect, rather than disempower, civil society organisations,” Bailliet said.   She called for the creation of a UN Digital International Solidarity Platform to exchange solidarity ideas and the adoption of the Revised Draft Declaration on International Solidarity.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/node/109103   Academic freedom just as crucial as a free press or independent judiciary, says Special Rapporteur   In every region of the world, people exercising their academic freedom face repression, whether through direct and violent or more subtle methods, an independent expert warned today.   In her report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, said restrictions aimed to control public opinion undermine free thinking and limit academic and scientific debate.   “We must take this seriously as these attacks threaten both our democracies and our capacities to collectively respond to crises humanity currently faces,” Shaheed said.   “Academic freedom must be understood and respected for its role for our societies, which is as crucial as a free press or an independent judiciary.”   The Special Rapporteur said academic freedom carries special duties to seek truth and impart information according to ethical and professional standards, and to respond to contemporary problems and needs of all members of society. “Therefore, we must not politicise its exercise,” she said.   “A multitude of actors are involved in the restrictions, from Governments to religious or political groups or figures, paramilitary and armed groups, terrorist groups, narco-traffickers, corporate entities, philanthropists, influencers, but also sometimes the educational institutions themselves as well as school boards, staff and students, and parents’ associations.”   Shaheed said that institutional autonomy is crucial for ensuring academic freedom; however, academic, research and teaching institutions also must respect it.   “Institutions must respect the freedom of expression on campus according to international standards and carry a specific responsibility to promote debate around controversies that may arise on campus following academic standards.”   Referring to student protests on the Gaza crisis that occurred in a number of countries, Shaheed said she remained deeply troubled by the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against members of the educational community exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.   Shaheed called for endorsement and implementation of Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom, drafted by a working group of United Nations experts, scholars, and civil society actors, based on and reflecting the status of international law and practice.   “I believe implementing these Principles would allow a better state of academic freedom worldwide,” she said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/academic-freedom-just-crucial-free-press-or-independent-judiciary-says   The independence of judicial systems must be protected in the face of democratic decline and rising authoritarianism: UN expert   A UN expert warned today that the role of independent justice systems in protecting participatory governance has come under attack from political actors who seek to limit or control judicial systems, including through ad hominem attacks by political leaders and the criminalisation of prosecutors, judges, and lawyers.   In her second report to the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, set out a taxonomy of Government efforts to control judicial systems – from curbing bar associations and manipulating administrative functions to capturing courts and criminalising or attacking justice operators.   The report also explores the vital role played by the legal professionals who comprise the justice system ­– judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, as well as community justice workers – in safeguarding democracy, in the 2024 context in which nearly half the world’s population will vote.   “Justice systems promote and protect a fundamental value that undergirds participatory governance: the rule of law,” the Special Rapporteur said. “This principle insists that all people, even state actors, are subject to the same laws, applied fairly and consistently.   “I call on Member States to do more to revitalise public trust in justice institutions and to defend justice actors and their indispensable role in safeguarding democracy,” she said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/independence-judicial-systems-must-be-protected-face-democratic-decline-and http://taxjustice.net/reports/submission-to-special-rapporteur-on-the-independence-of-judges-and-lawyers-on-undue-influence-of-economic-actors-on-judicial-systems/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session56/list-reports   Apr. 2024   UN experts call for strengthening democracy and reversing global erosion of human rights. (OHCHR)   UN experts have urged authorities in dozens of countries holding elections this year to uphold and protect the rights to vote and to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. They said these rights are threatened by democratic regression, the rise of authoritarianism worldwide and shrinking civic spaces. The experts issued the following statement:   “As citizens from 64 countries around the globe are casting their ballots this year, States must ensure free and fair elections, fully respecting and upholding their human rights obligations throughout the electoral process.   Creating a safe and enabling environment for the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association is essential for fostering participation and ensuring inclusive and credible elections with results reflecting the will of the people.   We are deeply troubled by the increasing erosion of these rights across the globe. Elections in many jurisdictions have been marred by violence and arbitrary arrests, targeting opposition candidates and political leaders, as well as human rights defenders, journalists, media workers and election observers.   The adoption and enforcement of restrictive laws in the guise of national security measures, such as foreign agents and foreign influence legislation, further undermine civil society's work in the context of elections and lead to stigmatising those working to promote democracy and human rights.   The proliferation of populism, misinformation, and disinformation poses further threats to the integrity of elections. Hate speech and negative discourse targeting marginalised and discriminated-against groups, migrants and ethnic and religious minorities, have been weaponised for political gain, further polarising societies.   Social media platforms have also been exploited to undermine fair elections and propagate anti-rights narratives, primarily facilitated through the misuse of algorithms and content moderation. Internet shutdowns and network disruptions further impede access to information and the organisation of peaceful protests, hindering the democratic process.   Addressing these challenges and reversing the negative trend of global erosion of human rights requires concerted efforts from everyone.   We urge States to guarantee and facilitate an unobstructed exercise of the rights to participate in public affairs, and to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association before, during and after elections, and ensure the safety of civil society actors, including journalists and election monitors.   Political parties, the private sector, media outlets and social media companies must also participate in fostering a safe and inclusive environment for credible elections and work towards strengthening democracy and human rights in this critical election year.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/electoral-year-2024-un-experts-call-strengthening-democracy-and-reversing Visit the related web page
	African and Caribbean nations to seek reparations for slavery by UN News, OHCHR, news agencies   May 2025   ‘Justice is long overdue’: Guterres calls for reparations for enslavement and colonialism. (UN News)   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his calls for Member states and the United Nations to work towards justice and reparations for Africans and the diaspora in a speech to the Africa Dialogue Series.   “Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility. But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed,” he said.   The United Nations has repeatedly said that slavery and the transatlantic slave trade constituted crimes against humanity, and the Secretary-General has repeatedly called for redress for these injustices.   Speaking to the Africa Dialogue Series — which is focused on the theme of justice through reparations — the Secretary-General noted that the movement for reparatory justice is gaining momentum around the world as reflected by the declaration of the Second Decade for People of African Descent, which runs through 2035.   The last decade, which ended in 2024, yielded tangible results, with over 30 Member States revising laws to better tackle racial discrimination. However, the Secretary-General noted that much work remains.   “We point to the poisoned legacies of enslavement and colonialism, not to sow division but to heal them,” he said.   Mr. Guterres underlined the entrenched nature of racism and exploitative systems, saying that these systems have disadvantaged African countries and people of African descent beyond the end of colonialism and enslavement.   “Decolonization did not free African countries, or people of African descent, from the structures and prejudices that made those projects possible,” he said.   In fact, when the United Nations was founded and many of the global structures established, some African countries were still colonies. “When African countries gained their independence, they inherited a system built to serve others — not them,” the Secretary-General said.   The President of the UN General Assembly, Philemon Yang, underlined the importance of teaching this history through national education curricula. “Knowledge of our true history can serve as a powerful compass in our onward march towards progress,” he said.   To address the inequities of this system, the Secretary-General called upon the global community to take action on international financial systems which are burdening developing economies in Africa and the Caribbean. Specifically, he emphasized the importance of restructuring debt systems which are “suffocating” these countries’ economies.   UN reports have repeatedly noted that indebted poor countries are spending more on debt repayments than they do on health, education and infrastructure combined.   Mr. Guterres also called for massive investments into clean energy infrastructure in Africa which has been deeply impacted by climate change. “African countries did not cause the climate crisis. Yet the effects of our heating planet are wreaking havoc across the continent,” he said.   He reiterated his call for the establishment of a permanent Security Council position for an African Member State.   Mr. Yang, the General Assembly President, underlined the urgency of the Secretary-General’s remarks, urging member states to act. “Now is the moment to turn recommendations into rights, apologies into action and aspirations into accountability.”   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163886 http://www.un.org/osaa/ads2025   Apr. 2024   Africa and Caribbean unite on reparations. (Reuters)   Support is building among Africa and Caribbean nations for the creation of an international tribunal on atrocities dating to the transatlantic trade of enslaved people, with the United States backing a U.N. panel at the heart of the effort.   A tribunal, modelled on other ad-hoc courts such as the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals after World War Two, was proposed last year. It has now gained traction within a broader slavery reparations movement, Reuters reporting based on interviews with a dozen people reveals.   Formally recommended in June by the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, the idea of a special tribunal has been explored further at African and Caribbean regional bodies, said Eric Phillips, a vice-chair of the slavery reparations commission for the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, which groups 15 member states.   The scope of any tribunal has not been determined but the U.N. Forum recommended in a preliminary report that it should address reparations for enslavement, apartheid, genocide, and colonialism.   Advocates, including within CARICOM and the African Union (AU), which groups 55 nations across the continent, are working to build wider backing for the idea among U.N. members, Phillips said.   A special U.N. tribunal would help establish legal norms for complex international and historical reparations claims, its supporters say. Opponents of reparations argue, among other things, that contemporary states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical slavery.   Even its supporters recognise that establishing an international tribunal for slavery will not be easy.   There are "huge obstacles," said Martin Okumu-Masiga, Secretary-General of the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF), which is providing reparations-related advice to the AU.   Hurdles include obtaining the cooperation of nations that were involved in the trade of enslaved people and the legal complexities of finding responsible parties and determining remedies.   "These things happened many years ago and historical records and evidence can be challenging to access and even verify," Okumo-Masiga said.   Unlike the Nuremberg trials, nobody directly involved in transatlantic slavery is alive.   Asked about the idea of a tribunal, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office acknowledged the country's role in transatlantic slavery, but said it had no plan to pay reparations. Instead, past wrongs should be tackled by learning lessons from history and tackling "today's challenges," the spokesperson said.   However, advocates for reparations say Western countries and institutions that continue to benefit from the wealth slavery generated should be held accountable, particularly given ongoing legacies of racial discrimination.   A tribunal would help establish an "official record of history," said Brian Kagoro, a Zimbabwean lawyer who has been advocating for reparations for over two decades.   Racism, impoverishment and economic underdevelopment are linked to the longstanding consequences of transatlantic slavery from the United States to Europe and the African continent, according to U.N. studies.   "These legacies are alive and well," said Clive Lewis, a British Labour MP and a descendant of people enslaved in the Caribbean nation of Grenada.   Black people "live in poorer and more polluted areas, they have worse diets, they have worse educational outcomes... because structural racism is embedded deep."   The proposal for a tribunal was discussed in November at a reparations summit in Ghana attended by African and Caribbean leaders.   The Ghana summit ended with a commitment to explore judicial routes, including "litigation options."   Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria, is in favour of the push for a tribunal, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Reuters in February, saying the country would support the idea "until it becomes a reality."   In Grenada, where hundreds of thousands were enslaved, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell is "in full support," a spokesperson said, describing the tribunal as a CARICOM-led initiative.   Phillips said the work to establish a tribunal would have to take place through the United Nations system and include conversations with countries, including Portugal, Britain, France, Spain, Netherlands and Denmark, that were involved in trading enslaved people to the Caribbean and other regions.   Reuters could not establish how many countries in Africa and the Caribbean were likely to support the idea.   Among the tribunal's most vocal advocates is Justin Hansford, a Howard University law professor backed by the U.S. State Department to serve at the U.N. forum. He said the idea will be discussed at the forum's third session, starting April 16, due to be attended by 50 or more nations.   Hansford then plans to travel to Africa to lobby for further support, with the goal of raising the proposal with stronger backing during the U.N. General Assembly in September, he told Reuters.   "A lot of my work now is to try to help make it a reality," he said of the tribunal, saying it could take three to five years to get it off the ground. Phillips said the goal was to garner enough support by 2025.   The United States, which has financed the U.N forum, "will make a decision on the tribunal when it has been developed and established," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "However, the United States strongly supports" the forum's work, the spokesperson added.   Regarding reparations, "the complexity of the issue, legal challenges, and differing perspectives among Caribbean nations present significant challenges," the spokesperson said.   The U.N. leadership has now come out in support for reparations, which have been used in other circumstances to offset large moral and economic debts, such as to Japanese Americans interned by the United States during World War Two and to families of Holocaust survivors.   "We call for reparatory justice frameworks, to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination," U.N. General Secretary Antonio Guterres said on March 25, in his most direct public comments yet on the issue.   "No country with a legacy of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans, or colonialism has fully reckoned with the past, or comprehensively accounted for the impacts on the lives of people of African descent today," said Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights office, in response to a question about the tribunal.   The Netherlands apologised for its role in transatlantic slavery last year and announced a roughly $200 million fund to address that past. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry said it was not aware of the discussions around a tribunal and could not respond to questions.   The French government declined to comment. The governments of Portugal, Spain and Denmark did not respond to requests for comment.   The push for a tribunal stems in part from a belief that claims need to be enshrined in a legal framework, said Okumu-Masiga, of the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum.   Several institutions, including the European Union, have concluded that transatlantic slavery was a crime against humanity.   After the 1940s Nuremberg trials, the U.N. formalised the structure of special tribunals - criminal courts set up on an ad-hoc basis to investigate serious international crimes, such as crimes against humanity.   The U.N. has since established two: one to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide and another to prosecute war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.   The Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals were established by the U.N. Security Council, however the International Criminal Court, another international U.N. tribunal, was founded through a General Assembly resolution, a possible route for a slavery reparations tribunal, Hansford said.   Okumu-Masiga said affected countries, descendents of enslaved people and indigenous groups could be potential claimants, while defendants could include nations and institutions with historic links to slavery or even descendants of enslavers.   An international tribunal is not the only judicial path available.   At a summit of Caribbean countries in February this year, the gathered prime ministers and presidents proposed working with the AU to request an ICJ advisory legal opinion on reparations through the U.N. General Assembly, a source familiar with the matter at CARICOM said.   Makmid Kamara, founder of the Accra-based civil society group Reforms Initiatives that works with the AU on reparatory justice, said decisions on which route to take would be made based on that advisory by the ICJ.   From the 15th to the late 19th century, at least 12.5 million enslaved Africans were forcibly transported by mainly European but also U.S. and Brazilian-flagged ships and sold into slavery.   Before pushing for the abolition of slavery, Britain transported an estimated 3.2 million people, the most active European country after Portugal, which enslaved nearly 6 million.   Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations under inhumane conditions in the Americas, mostly in Brazil, the Caribbean and the United States, while others profited from their labour.   Calls for reparations started with enslaved people themselves.   "They ran away, they raised their voices in songs of protests, they fought wars of resistance," said Verene A. Sheperd, director of the centre for reparation research at the University of West Indies.   The movement later garnered support from quarters as varied as U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the Caribbean's Rastafarians. In the past year, some of the world's largest institutions have added their voices.   Ghana led efforts to get African support for formally pursuing reparations, with Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa also taking up the cause, said Kamara.   Most discussion has focused on transatlantic trafficking, Hansford and Phillips said, rather than the older trans-Saharan trade to the Islamic world, estimated to have transported several million enslaved Africans.   What reparations would consist of in practice is debated. Some, including in the United States, have pushed for individual payments to descendants of enslaved people. CARICOM, in a 2014 plan, called for debt cancellation and support from European nations to tackle public health and economic crises.   The AU decision to join CARICOM has given new heft to the campaign, said Jasmine Mickens, a U.S.- based strategist for social movements who specialises in reparations.   The AU is now developing Africa's own white paper on what reparations might look like, said Okumu-Masiga.   "We have a global community behind this message," said Mickens, who attended the Ghana event. "That's something this movement has never seen before."   (Reporting by Catarina Demony in Lisbon; Additional reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja, Maxwell Akalaare Adombila in Accra, John Irish in Paris and Lissandra Paraguassu in Brasilia)   * UN report on financial reparations for transatlantic slavery: http://tinyurl.com/3uce7wku   http://www.reuters.com/world/slavery-tribunal-africa-caribbean-unite-reparations-2024-04-04 http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/06/19/why-reparations-qa http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/18/africans-and-people-african-descent-call-europe-reckon-their-colonial-legacies http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/14/europe-has-yet-address-colonial-legacies-0 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-experts-urge-states-recognise-and-address-legacy-slave-trade http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/strong-leadership-and-political-will-crucial-ensure-reparatory-justice http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/forums/forum-african-descent/sessions/session1/statements/2023-01-23/Michael-McEachrane-Reparatory-Justice.pdf http://views-voices.oxfam.org.uk/2025/01/reparations-gender-justice/   Sep. 2023   A UN report calling on countries to consider financial reparations for transatlantic slavery has been hailed as a significant step forward by campaigners.   The report by the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said no country had comprehensively accounted for the past and addressed the legacy of the mass enslavement of people of African descent for more than 400 years.   “Under international human rights law, compensation for any economically assessable damage, as appropriate and proportional to the gravity of the violation and the circumstances of each case, may also constitute a form of reparations,” the report said.   “In the context of historical wrongs and harms suffered as a result of colonialism and enslavement, the assessment of the economic damage can be extremely difficult owing to the length of time passed and the difficulty of identifying the perpetrators and victims.”   The report stressed, however, that the difficulty in making a legal claim to compensation “cannot be the basis for nullifying the existence of underlying legal obligations”.   Michael McEachrane, a researcher and member of the UN permanent forum on people of African descent, said the report was “a huge step forward”, adding it came amid significant recent activity on the international stage.   McEachrane said: “There seems to be a big emphasis on reparations as a matter of financial compensation in the report. Various initiatives at the UN level, including the Caricom call for reparatory justice, moves way beyond a conception of reparations as a matter of financial compensation.   “There is no financial compensation for 500 years of enslavement and colonialism, and what most of us are calling for is a systemic and structural transformation.”   A recent report by the UN permanent forum on people of African descent, which was sent to the human rights council and general assembly, also called for reparative justice.   McEachrane said: “To address the lasting consequences of these histories – in terms of inequities, structural and systemic injustices, lack of equal enjoyment of human dignity and rights – that will include financing, but the point is not the financial compensation, but the structural and systemic transformation.”   The secretary general’s report concluded that states should consider a “plurality of measures” to address the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, including pursuing justice and reparations, and contributing to reconciliation.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/strong-leadership-and-political-will-crucial-ensure-reparatory-justice http://tinyurl.com/3uce7wku   Aug. 2023   UK cannot ignore calls for slavery reparations, says leading UN judge. (Guardian News)   A leading judge at the international court of justice has said the UK will no longer be able to ignore the growing calls for reparation for transatlantic slavery.   Judge Patrick Robinson, who presided over the trial of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, said the international tide on slavery reparations was quickly shifting and urged the UK to change its current position on the issue.   “They cannot continue to ignore the greatest atrocity, signifying man’s inhumanity to man. They cannot continue to ignore it. Reparations have been paid for other wrongs and obviously far more quickly, far more speedily than reparations for what I consider the greatest atrocity and crime in the history of mankind: transatlantic chattel slavery,” Robinson said.   “I believe that the United Kingdom will not be able to resist this movement towards the payment of reparations: it is required by history and it is required by law.”   Robinson spoke exclusively to the Guardian ahead of Unesco’s Day for Remembering the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition. He is scheduled to make the keynote address at the London mayor’s office to mark the day.   The event follows the key role that Robinson played in writing and compiling the Brattle Group Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, which was published in June. The report, which has been described as the most comprehensive state-to-state reparations analysis, identifies the reparations that are due in respect of 31 countries in which transatlantic slavery was practised.   The study estimates that trillions of dollars are owed in reparations to countries affected by transatlantic slavery. The report, which was published by the University of the West Indies after a symposium held by the American Society of International Law, concludes that the UK alone is required to pay a sum of $24tn (£18.8tn) as reparations for transatlantic slavery in 14 countries. Of that sum, about $9.6tn is due to Jamaica. The report uses calculations made by the Brattle Group, which factors in the wealth and GDP amassed by countries that enslaved African people.   When asked if the high figures came as a surprise, Robinson said no. “These calculations are not over a period of five years or 10 years. They cover the entire duration of transatlantic chattel slavery, which means they cover hundreds of years. What is more, reparations have never been paid. So the calculations begin from day one of transatlantic chattel slavery, that is hundreds of years; and that alone explains the high figures.”   To address the figures, Robinson said the report proposed that payments be made over a longer period of time, between 10 and 25 years, rather than instantly.   At the launch of the report at the University of the West Indies in Kingston Jamaica, PJ Patterson, a former prime minister of Jamaica, reportedly said that reparations were owed to Jamaica and the other countries affected by transatlantic slavery, and would not rule out bringing the issue to courts.   On achieving reparations through international courts, Robinson said: “It’s possible, but frankly, I think the greater probability is for a settlement on a political diplomatic basis, which takes into account the relevant legal considerations … But I don’t rule out court proceedings.”   In April, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, refused to apologise for the UK’s role in the slave trade or to commit to paying reparations.   Robinson said: “I have the highest regard for the prime minister of the United Kingdom, but I believe the stance that he has taken is regrettable and I very much hope that he will reconsider it.   “The tide is changing, the political tide, the global tide is moving. The United Kingdom – including both principle parties, the Conservative party and the Labour party and the other parties, which are just as important – need to take into account that movement is a movement in favour of reparations. The transatlantic chattel slavery is the greatest atrocity in the history of humankind without parallel for its brutality, without parallel for its length over 400 years, without parallel for its profitability.”   http://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/22/uk-cannot-ignore-calls-for-slavery-reparations-says-leading-un-judge-patrick-robinson http://www.brattle.com/insights-events/publications/brattle-consultants-quantify-reparations-for-transatlantic-chattel-slavery-in-pro-bono-paper/ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/17/african-and-caribbean-nations-agree-move-to-seek-reparations-for-slavery http://globalvoices.org/2023/12/02/a-movement-is-growing-across-africa-and-diaspora-demanding-reparations-for-the-impacts-of-slavery-and-colonialism/ http://africanarguments.org/2024/11/a-robbery-on-so-large-a-scale-140-years-after-the-berlin-west-africa-conference/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/12/un-experts-urge-shift-towards-human-rights-economy-prevent-contemporary-forms http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Racism/SR/A_74_231_Reparations__SR_Racism.pdf http://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/legacy-slavery-caribbean-and-journey-towards-justice http://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/deep-legacy-slavery http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148166 http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/02/tulsa-race-massacre-survivors-ask-biden-investigate http://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr/publications/global-anti-blackness-and-legacy-transatlantic-slave-trade http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/18/submission-un-committee-elimination-racial-discrimination http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/ Visit the related web page
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