Session outline one: General principles
Objectives
Participants will be introduced to the overall existing United Nations framework for
the protection of human rights in law enforcement;
They will be provided with an overview of the principal instruments, monitoring
mechanisms and authoritative United Nations bodies relevant to the work of police;
They will be alerted to selected categories of human rights violations to which police
should be specially sensitized;
They will be sensitized to the relationship between respect for human rights and effective law enforcement.
NOTE: This session should draw on the material presented in Part Two of this
Guide entitled “Introduction to Human Rights”.
Sources
Charter of the United Nations (preamble, art. 1)
UDHR (art. 29)
ICCPR (art. 2(3))
Code of Conduct (art. 2)
Standards
International human rights law is binding on all States and their agents, including law
enforcement officials.1
Human rights are a legitimate subject for international law and international scrutiny.2
Law enforcement officials are obliged to know, and to apply, international standards
for human rights.3
Practice
Adopt a comprehensive human rights policy for your organization.
Incorporate human rights standards in standing orders for the police.
Provide human rights training to all police, on recruitment and periodically.
Cooperate with national and international human rights organizations.
1
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (hereinafter “ICCPR”, article 2(3).
Charter of the United Nations (hereinafter “Charter”), preamble, article 1 and article 55(c).
3
ICCPR, article 2(3); Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (hereinafter “Code of Conduct”), article 2.
2
22
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