Side Event at the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
- Date & Time: Wednesday, 26 March 2025 | 15:00 – 16:00 CET
- Venue: Conference Room XXV, Palais des Nations, United Nations, Geneva
- Organisers: No Peace Without Justice, Refugees in Libya, front-LEX, Ligue Tunisienne pour la Défense des Droits de l’homme, EuroMed Rights, Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme en Tunisie, Avocats Sans Frontières, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
This side event to the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council will examine the individual criminal liability under international law of European policymakers and high-level decision-makers for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity committed against migrants. It will explore the legal implications of providing systematic support, such as funding, naval assets, vehicles, equipment, supplies, and intelligence necessary to intercept and capture migrants, to militias or third-country authorities responsible for atrocities including illegal refoulement, arbitrary detention, rape and torture.
The event is held under the High Patronage of Mr Adama Dieng, AU Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities, who will deliver the opening statement. The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Siobhán Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons. The panellists will provide direct factual testimonies evidencing the nexus between specific European decisions and practices and the crimes committed against migrants, and will discuss the legal basis for individual criminal liability under international law of those aiding and abetting atrocities.
By exposing these violations and their legal consequences, the event seeks to end impunity for atrocities committed against migrants, encourage a critical reassessment of European migration policies that fuel widespread human rights abuses, and provide a timely reminder that actions by individuals, irrespective of their official positions, carry legal consequences under international law.
Agenda
– Chair: Giovanni Fontana, Second Tree
– Introduction: Dr. Adama Dieng, AU Special Envoy on the prevention of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities
– Keynote Address: Prof. Siobhán Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children
– Panel Discussion:
David Yambio, Refugees in Libya
Dr. Omar Shatz, front-LEX
Dr. Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, No Peace Without Justice
– Q&A: Interventions from the floor
For further information, please contact Raul Suarez (rsuarez@npwj.org) or Nicola Giovannini (ngiovannini@npwj.org)
