30 Nov 2012

GENEVA / NAVI PILLAY

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has urged Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to reconsider a decree handing himself sweeping powers, cautioning it clashed with international rights conventions. She also expressed alarm at the current violent unrest in the Tunisian town of Siliana, her spokesman said today. CH UNTV

Posted at: November 30, 2012 12:51 pm

Duration: 02:17

Available in: SD

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STORY: GENEVA / NAVI PILLAY
TRT: 2.17
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 30 NOVEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, GENEVA SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations

30 NOVEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 
"The High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has urged the President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, to reconsider the Constitutional Declaration issued last week, saying a number of measures contained in it are incompatible with international human rights law. She further warned that approving a constitution in these circumstances could be a deeply divisive move."
4. Med shot, journalists 
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 
"The High Commissioner welcomes the efforts to reach out to the judiciary and political parties, but she believes they are not yet sufficient to prevent Egypt reneging on binding principles laid down in the two overarching international human rights treaties – the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." 
6. Med shot, journalists  
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 
"In her letter she outlined areas where the Constitutional Declaration opens the door to violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in particular the right to effective remedy, access to justice as well as the guarantees for the independence of the judiciary."
8. Pan right, papers being passed
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 
"[On Tunisia] The High Commissioner condemns the excessive and disproportionate use of force by members of the security forces against the protesters whose demonstration was announced in advance. In particular, she is urging the authorities to immediately halt the use of shotguns against protesters." 
10. Close up, journalist 
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: 
"The High Commissioner is also calling on all parties to engage in a positive and constructive dialogue, and urging the government of Tunisia to take the necessary measures to ensure equitable development that will permit all Tunisians to enjoy their economic and social rights. The economy in the Siliana region has been in decline for years, and this appears to be the root cause of the unrest we have seen over the past few days."
12. Tilt down, journalist to hat and paper

STORYLINE:

Pillay's spokesman, Rupert Colville told reporters at a briefing in Geneva that the High Commissioner for Human Rights had sent a letter on Tuesday to the Egyptian President. In it, she noted that a number of measures laid out in his declaration last week "are incompatible with international human rights law". She further warned that approving a constitution in these circumstances could be a deeply divisive move.

In her letter she outlined areas where the Constitutional Declaration opens the door to violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in particular the right to effective remedy, access to justice as well as the guarantees for the independence of the judiciary.

In her letter the High Commissioner stressed that she fully understood the difficult challenges the Egyptian President is facing, but urged him to reconsider the Declaration so that the various problems it was designed to address can be confronted by measures that are "in conformity with international human rights principles."

Pillay also expressed alarm at the current violent unrest in the Tunisian town of Siliana, and urged the Tunisian government to ensure that security forces stop using excessive force against demonstrators and demonstrators should also avoid resorting to violence.

The protests over unemployment and imbalances in development began on Tuesday and led to violent confrontations between demonstrators and the security forces. More than 220 people are believed to have been injured on Tuesday and Wednesday, and sporadic violence, house-to-house searches and arrests are reported to have taken place in Siliana on Thursday. A team from the Tunisian Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) arrived in the town early Friday morning.

Some of the demonstrators suffered serious injuries caused by the use of bird shot, reportedly fired without warning. On Thursday, OHCHR staff visited victims who had been taken to hospitals in the capital Tunis, and documented cases of shotgun wounds to the head, back, and face, as well as eye injuries which could in some cases lead to blindness.

In a statement read out to journalists in Geneva by her spokesperson, the High Commissioner condemned "the excessive and disproportionate use of force by members of the security forces against the protesters whose demonstration was announced in advance" and urged the authorities "to immediately halt the use of shotguns against protesters".

She called on all parties to engage in a positive and constructive dialogue, and urged the government of Tunisia to "take the necessary measures to ensure equitable development that will permit all Tunisians to enjoy their economic and social rights."