Lawyers Committee Welcomes Arab NGO’s
Reassertion of Human Rights Principles in the Face of the Threat of
Imminent War
NEW YORK - As the threat of war in Iraq looms closer, a group of 70
non-governmental organizations from throughout the Arab world are
calling for paramount consideration to be given by all parties to
the human rights of the ordinary people who are at risk there. Their
statement, issued on March 1, 20251.,
makes a series of recommendations to Arab governments.
The Lawyers Committee welcomes the reassertion by these groups
of the need to respect basic rights and freedoms both in resolution
of the Iraq crisis, and in avoiding future regional crises. We share
with these organizations a firm commitment to safeguarding human
security through placing human rights concerns first.
The signatories to this joint statement include most of the leading
human rights organizations in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt,
Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, among others. These Arab
human rights advocates voice their opposition to war over Iraq and
also call for an end to the “gross violations of fundamental
rights and freedoms of the Iraqi people” at the hands of their
own government. The statement, entitled “No to War…No
to Tyranny” recognizes, correctly, that “ignoring the
suffering” of the Iraqi people over decades has brought the
region to the edge of war, with all its uncertainty and potential
for contributing further to human misery.
While calling for respect for human rights and democratization
in Iraq, the Arab NGO statement also criticizes the lack of political
freedoms in other Arab countries. The Arab NGOs call on their own
governments to lift all restrictions on freedom of expression so
as to permit open public discourse on a broad range of issues.
We believe that the Arab NGO statement is a positive signal of
the commitment of a substantial body of opinion throughout the Arab
world to universal principles of human rights. It is essential that
their efforts are reinforced by governments and NGOs from all parts
of the world. Specifically, we urge that a fundamental objective
of Western policy in the region must be to enable the peoples of
the region to realize for themselves their aspirations for freedom
and human rights.
The Lawyers Committee takes no position on the appropriateness
or legality of the resort to armed force in Iraq or in other situations
of potential armed conflict. However, we are mindful of the human
cost of war, and therefore will monitor, comment on and advocate
for the protection of the rights of refugees and displaced people.
We will call for access for humanitarian relief workers and human
rights monitors, and we will present options for accountability
for past gross violations of human rights.
For too long disregard of the basic rights and freedoms of the
peoples of the Middle East has contributed to conflict and instability
throughout the region and the world. The peoples of the Middle East
should have the opportunity to live in freedom and dignity with
their basic human rights secured and respected by their governments.
The statement of these 70 non-governmental organizations is an important
step towards that goal.
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The text of the statement may be viewed on line at www.cihrs.com
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