l’ONU commina de nou Espanya sobre Catalunya
Nova advertència per a l'estat espanyol després del revés judicial d'ahir a Alemanya amb l'alliberament del president Carles Puigdemont. A través d'un comunicat oficial del Comitè de Drets Humans de les Nacions Unides, el relator especial de l'organització, David Kaye, ha instat les autoritats espanyoles a "abstenir-se de perseguir per rebel·lió figures polítiques i manifestants" a Catalunya. Un delicte, ha recordat, pel qual els acusats podrien enfrontar-se a una pena de fins a 30 anys. Les repercussions per rebel·lió, "que poden conduir a llargues condemnes de presó", segons ha matisat, "plantegen greus riscos de dissuasió d'un discurs totalment legítim" fins i tot, ha assegurat, "si és un discurs controvertit".
L'expert s'ha referit aquest divendres a la llibertat d'expressió com a "pedra angular" de qualsevol societat democràtica, i ha afirmat que "així continuarà sent quan desapareguin les controvèrsies polítiques actuals". Tot i així, Kaye s'ha mostrat "preocupat" pels càrrecs que s'imputen a membres del Govern per uns actes que, ha considerat, "no involucren violència ni la seva incitació". Així, l'expert tem que aquestes acusacions, com la que pesa sobre el president Puigdemont, puguin "interferir en els drets de protesta pública i la dissidència".
A més, l'expert relator de l'ONU ha recordat que, en base a la llei internacional de drets humans, "les restriccions només es poden imposar quan són estrictament necessàries". No obstant, ha manifestat a través del comunicat que té "esperança" que l'estat espanyol "desplegui les seves institucions democràtiques" per fomentar espais de debat, ha dit, i crear "eines de diàleg i reconciliació" per trobar una resposta a la situació política actual.
https://www.ara.cat/politica/Lexpert-llibertat-dexpressio-espanyol-desdir-se_0_1991801010.html?utm_campaign=_news30clics&utm_source=ara&utm_medium=email
UN expert urges Spain not to pursue criminal charges of rebellion against political figures in Catalonia
GENEVA (6 April 2018) - The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, urged Spanish authorities to refrain from pursuing the criminal charge of rebellion against political figures and protesters in Catalonia that carries a jail sentence of up to 30 years.
“Prosecutions for ‘rebellion’ that could lead to lengthy jail sentences raise serious risks of deterring wholly legitimate speech, even if it is controversial and discomfiting,” said Kaye. “Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of every free and democratic society, and it will remain so long after the current political controversies subside.”
Following a referendum last October deemed void and unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, Spanish authorities arrested then-members of the Catalan Government and leaders of civil society organisations and charged them with rebellion, among other charges. Carles Puigdemont, former president of Catalonia, was among those charged; on request from Spain, he was arrested in Germany and may face extradition.
“I am concerned that charges of rebellion for acts that do not involve violence or incitement to violence may interfere with rights of public protest and dissent,” the Special Rapporteur said. “International human rights law cautions that, especially in situations involving political dissent, restrictions should only be imposed when they are strictly necessary and proportionate to protect the State’s interests.
“I am hopeful that Spain will deploy its democratic institutions to foster space for debate, and find creative tools of dialogue and reconciliation to deal with the current political situation,” Kaye added.
ENDS
David Kaye (USA) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in August 2014 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Learn more, log on to:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomOpinion/Pages/OpinionIndex.aspx
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This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day. In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.
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