HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS
UN Human Rights facilitates an expert discussion on the draft Law establishing the National Specialized Court for Most Serious Crimes in Iraq.
© UNAMI PIO
In the Americas, the commissioners of the Truth Commission of Bolivia, created in 2016, were appointed
in August. In Colombia, efforts continued for the establishment of judicial and non-judicial mechanisms
to deal with serious violations of international human
rights law and international humanitarian law that were
committed during the armed conflict. The Special Indigenous Jurisdiction received official recognition in
accordance with international law.
In Asia, all of the 34 provincial road maps for peace were
completed as part of the Afghan People’s Dialogue on
Peace. In addition, the Government of Sri Lanka continued working on the implementation of its transitional
justice agenda, which includes the establishment of a
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an Office for Missing Persons, a reparations programme and a special accountability mechanism with a special counsel and the
participation of foreign judges. National consultations to
discuss these mechanisms were held in 2016 and, in
January 2017, an outcome report was finalized. In 2016,
the Government adopted legislation to establish an Office of Missing Persons, which was operationalized in
2017. It is anticipated that the newly established office
will start working in 2018. While the legislation for a truth
and reconciliation commission and a reparations programme has been drafted, it has not yet been publicly
discussed or adopted.
In the Middle East and North Africa region, a draft law
for the creation of a specialized court for the most serious crimes in Iraq has been finalized and disseminated
for consideration, in full compliance with international
principles. In Libya, although no general transitional
justice mechanism has been established, a milestone
was reached during the Tawergha-Misrata transitional justice process when, in 2016, an agreement was
signed between these communities, addressing issues
of truth-seeking, justice, reparations and reconciliation.
The National Commission of Inquiry on Yemen issued
two interim reports, reportedly documented more than
17,000 human rights violations and completed investigations of more than 10,000 allegations.
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UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2017
National Preventive Mechanisms
Some achievements were recorded in relation to the
establishment and strengthening of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs). In Cambodia, although the
NPM still falls short of OP-CAT requirements, there
have been improvements in relation to the nomination
and independence of its new members. Efforts were
undertaken by Indonesia to strengthen its recently
created NPM for monitoring places of detention. In
Tunisia, the NPM adopted rules of procedure and a
2017-2021 plan of action. It also undertook a series of
outreach activities across the country to engage with
civil society organizations to ensure that they understand the role of the NPM. The NPM of Ukraine carried out regular visits to places of detention, thereby
strengthening human rights protection for detainees.
Engagement by the international
community
Throughout the year, the High Commissioner advocated for the increased responsiveness of the international community to ensure accountability for human rights
violations and abuses and other international crimes.
In particular, the High Commissioner renewed calls for
accountability for human rights violations committed in
Syria. Consequently, the international community has
taken steps to address the prevailing situation of impunity by establishing two distinct and complementary entities. The mandate of the International Independent Commission of Inquiry, established in 2011, has been renewed
by the Human Rights Council. Additionally, in December
2016, the General Assembly decided to establish the
International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism
to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Those
Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since
March 2011. In 2017, the Mechanism began to collect and
analyse evidence of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses that have
been committed in Syria since 2011.
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