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	Human rights defenders at grave risk in Guatemala by Hina Jilani UN Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders   20 February 2008   The number of attacks against Guatemala’s human rights defenders has virtually doubled in the last five years and the perpetrators of these crimes enjoy almost total impunity, an independent United Nations expert said today, calling on the country’s Government, police and Attorney-General’s office to overhaul their efforts to protect the defenders.   In a statement issued following a three-day visit, Hina Jilani, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders said the situation had only worsened since her last official visit – in mid-2002 – to the Central American nation, despite a series of Government initiatives to tackle the problem.   There is now one attack against a human rights defender every other day, Ms. Jilani said, and at least 50 defenders were murdered between July 2002 and December 2007.   “Equally alarming is the level of the impunity for attacks and violations against human rights defenders,” she said in her statement, released in Guatemala City. “The reported figure of 98 per cent of impunity for attacks against human rights defenders makes justice an empty word in Guatemala.”   The attacks are widespread, with defenders working on economic, social and cultural rights among the most affected and organizations dealing with justice and the right to truth especially targeted, but trade unions, journalists and representatives of indigenous and peasants’ groups also at risk.   Ms. Jilani called on the Government to “take concrete and visible steps to give political recognition and legitimacy to the work of human rights defenders,” starting with firm, public condemnations of any attacks.   She said the current system of protection must be changed so that State institutions – especially police and prosecutors – coordinate their response to any attacks, and there is a quick response to any incident.   Ms. Jilani, who reports to the UN Human Rights Council, also called on defenders in Guatemala to strengthen their networks and coalitions so they can provide protection to each other.   But she voiced encouragement that the new Government has stressed its commitment to upholding human rights, and also welcomed several recent measures, such as the December 2006 establishment of the Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which is charged with investigating the presence of illegal and clandestine security groups.   “Guatemala is a country confronted with daunting challenges. It ranks among the most unequal in terms of income distribution. Violence and organized crime are rampant, the level of impunity is almost total and the influence of parallel powers impairs change. This has dramatically deteriorated the environment in which defenders operate.”   During her visit Ms. Jilani met with Government officials, the Ombudsperson, members of the judiciary and the national Congress, human rights defenders and representatives of the international community.
	Central African Republic must end impunity for extrajudicial killings by Philip Alston United Nations   7 February 2008   An independent United Nations human rights expert has urged that extrajudicial killings in the Central African Republic (CAR) be investigated and those responsible be held to account in order to eliminate impunity for such abuses.   “To ensure that the near future does not reprise the nightmare of the recent past, the Government must take the steps to both extend and institutionalize its efforts to respect human rights and to eliminate impunity,” UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston said at the conclusion of his visit to the CAR.   Government troops and rebel forces in the CAR continue to clash – mostly in the country’s northern areas – despite ongoing talks of a peace agreement. The ongoing insecurity has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, forcing an estimated 200,000 people to become internally displaced and thousands of others to flee to Chad or Cameroon as refugees.   In a statement issued in the capital Bangui, Mr. Alston noted that while President François Bozizé has shown that he has the power to prevent the military from committing human rights abuses, “it is still too early to conclude that the Government has definitively turned a new page.”   While he reported that the number of extrajudicial executions carried out by the armed forces in the north has fallen “dramatically” over the past six months, owing to a decrease in the fighting, “this is not to say that all executions have ceased.”   Mr. Alston noted that although there has been a dramatic decline in executions related to armed conflicts in the north, individual soldiers have not been prosecuted. “It is unsurprising, then, that this impunity has allowed soldiers to continue to use lethal violence for a range of personal and corrupt ends,” he stated.   In addition, he received credible reports that torture and extrajudicial executions occur on a regular basis while suspects are in police custody or detention facilities.   The Special Rapporteur acknowledged that there are officials trying to put an end to abuses and ensure that the current mechanisms in place are effective, and their efforts need to be strengthened and supported.   He cited the need for officials to acknowledge the killings that have taken place and respond to allegations of abuses. “While the President has taken some important steps and even issued a limited apology, the Government as a whole has generally been in denial about killings by security forces,” he noted.   In addition, the Government must start prosecuting those who bear individual criminal responsibility for killings, and it is also crucial to reform the security sector and regain the trust of the population.   Among his recommendations, Mr. Alston stressed that soldiers should be instructed to obey international human rights and humanitarian law. The Government, for its part, should effectively investigate the range of serious allegations of human rights abuses made against the security forces and provide a detailed public response.   Noting that the current arrangement for international human rights monitoring and assistance is unsatisfactory, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should open an office in the CAR. In addition, the Government should establish a national human rights commission that is independent and fully complies with all relevant international standards.
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