17 July 2006 : International Justice Day

Balloon Release – Palais Wilson

Weak or Powerful, Justice Should Be

The Same For All!

See Press Release here – See photos of the demonstration here
Further information

To see the film of this event

The 17 July 2006 is International Justice Day. On this same day, the United States presented its periodic report before the United Nations Human Rights Committee. 

To mark the occasion, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always – Swiss Association against Impunity) organised a symbolic balloon release in front of the Palais Wilson, the headquarters of the Human Rights Committee. The Association took advantage of this event to present to the public its memorandum on the United States, presented earlier to the Committee.

Download here the TRIAL memorandum

By this memorandum, TRIAL requested that the Committee :

• declare as invalid, the United States reservation concerning Article 7 of the Covenant; 

• remind the United States that it should abide by and guarantee to any person under their power or effective control, the rights recognised by the Covenant even if this person is not located within their territory; 

• establish and condemn the violations of the provisions of the Covenant by the United States, notably with regard to Articles 6, 7, 9, 10 and 14; 

• direct the United States, with regard to Article 2 § 3 of the Covenant, to take up proceedings against all those responsible for serious breaches of the Covenant as constituting international crimes, and to accord due reparations to the victims; 

• declare that the United States should not, by virtue of the Covenant, limit criminal proceedings to the direct perpetrators of such crimes, but that the obligation of criminal prosecution also be extended to hierarchical superiors, military or civilian, under the provisions established by international law.