Den nyligt udnævnte FN-Højkommissær for Menneskerettigheder, canadiske Mme. Louise Arbour, besøgte IMR 30/11 kl. 16-17 hendes første besøg i Danmark i denne nye egenskab”Det geniale ved menneskerettighederne er, at selvom de først og fremmest handler om individuelle rettigheder, skaber de en meget grundfæstet bevidsthed om andres rettigheder.”
Louise Arbour 22. juli 2004
Institut for Menneskerettigheder afholdt den 30. november et offentligt møde med Mme Louise Arbour, FNs Højkommisær for Menneskerettigheder
Højkommissæren indledte med et kort oplæg om terrorisme, diskrimination og den internationale menneskeretssituation, hvorefter hun vil svarede på spørgsmål.
Hør Louise Arbours oplæg fra mødet her (RealPlayer):
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Her kan du læse de spørgsmål Louise Arbour svarede på under den efterfølgende debat. Du kan også se og høre Louise Arbours svar.
Vibeke Klitgaard:
"It's well known that human rights activists or human rights bodies are nor neccesarily popular with their own governemnt, or the governments they criticise. And it might be the same thing for the human rights high commisioner in the international community. What would be lessons learned form the way that your predecesors have handled this possesion? Thank you"
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Muborok Sharipova:
"My question is; One of the most human rights violator today is Mr. Bush, and he is going down to Canada where there is established legislation to bring him to the court for his crime against humanity and "...." Do you think there is some mechanism to bring him to court within the comission of human rights? And the other question is; In the proces of starting war in Iraq there was much argumentation used that there was a violation of human rights. It was used in the ideological preperation of people to establish "...." war. How can we as human rights activists avoid this kind of using our activity in terms of massive violation of human rights and agression? Thank you very much"
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Sigga Hagelen:
"I'm form Iceland national radio. I would like to ask one question about Iceland and another more general one; I'm not sure if you are familiar with the fact, that the Icelandic government have decided to cut all the fundings of the Icelandic human rights center. Which have dealt with many similar cases as the Danish human rights institute. I would like to ask you if you are familiar with the case and if you have any comments on it on one hand, and on the other hand i would like to ask about the importance of having a national human rights institute handling these cases instead of an NGO?"
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Birgit Lindsnæs:
"I would just like to ask you very simply, you said it yourself strategies. What are your strategy parametres for the work as a high commisioner for human rights?"
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Sune Skadesgaard:
"The question goes along with buisness and human rights; Your office have been trusted with a mandate from the human rights commision to work out a report for the next meeting, and i would consider that you wouldalso play a role after that meeting. So how do you see human rights and buisness, considering the globalisaton market fall into your strategies in promoting human rights?"
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Jo Asvell:
"You mentioned the word torture and the dangerous erosion of standards and/off langauge that we have, whereby some governments don't call torture torture anymore, they call it something else. I have three questions for you: One is; We have the example of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, where certain people, certain perpretators has stood in court or will stand in court. "...." the mayor perpretators who has ordered this, how are we going to find them? The second question to you is; You focus a lot on the perpretators which is good, and who focuses on the victims? Very few focus on the victims and i think in Iraq today we are talking about hundred of thousands of victims of torture and trauma, i don't think very many have been mentioned at all. The third question has to do with a case that is very familiar to yuo, i'm sure; Of a Canadian citizen who passed through the aiport of New York, was taken and put into jail in Syria where he was badly tortured for over a year. How can this happen, a canadian citizen are extradicted by other governments, and this tendency, how do you intend to adress it? thank you."
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Fergus Kerrigan:
"Your remark that your foremost concern would be to do no harm, I'm very interested in asking about this in relation to yuor experience as a prosecutor. If you look at Darfur and other places you can, on one hand fine, a very strict position adopted by human rights NGO's which is that perpretrators should always be prosecuted, and you find on the oher hand, a position that says: Well that might possibly result in even more harm, to victims in the short term. Could you tell us how you see this balance? Very much from your experience as prosecutor. Its also, i would add, relevant to Denmark entering the UN Security Coucil in January 2005, when we are going to have a report from an investigation commison to Darfur. And if i may add more generally if yoy have any other wishes or hopes for Denmark in this position in the security council, i would be very glad to hear."
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Godfred Louis-Jensen:
"I'm Godfred Louis-Jensen, I'm an architect not a lawyer. And I am a member of the international committee for the defence of Slobodan Milosevic. My question to you is; Don't you agree that Mr. Milosevic indeed have the right to defend himself and if so, what are you going to see to it, what are you going to do about it? Now i have a small additional question; I think you aware that a countryman of yours General Patrick Maisonneuve on the 28. May 2002 testyfied in the Haag. Saying among other things, and i quote: On the 15. January 1999, when Mr. Maisonneuve actually entered the village of Racak on that day he did not know that anybody were killed at Racak that testimony completely undermine your indictment, don't you agree?"
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