United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights has called Spain to review its position and enter into negociations with Catalonia authorities instead of suspending the autonomy of Catalonia (see full text of official press release in English and Spanish at the end of this note). This official communiqué follows the statement made by four UN Human Rights Expert last October 4th urging both sides to negotiate (see our brief note in Spanish) and last October 2nd, issued by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights himself condemning the violent actions of police forces against voters and urging for inmediate investigations of this violence during the referendum that took place on October 1st in Catalonia (see our brief note in Spanish too).
Last October 24th, Spain announced it will take control of the official delegations of Catalonia abroad (see our brief note), as part of actions taken against the Generalitat.
Full text of UN press release date October 25th
UN independent expert urges Spanish Government to reverse decision on Catalan autonomy
GENEVA (25 October 2017) - The UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, is calling on Spanish authorities to enter into negotiations in good faith with leaders in Catalonia following the announcement that the Spanish Government would suspend the region’s autonomy. On 19 October, the Spanish Government announced its intention to impose direct rule on the region after a deadline seeking an end to the Catalan independence campaign was not met. His statement is as follows:
“I deplore the decision of the Spanish Government to suspend Catalan autonomy. This action constitutes retrogression in human rights protection, incompatible with Articles 1, 19, 25 and 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Pursuant to Articles 10(2) and 96 of the Spanish Constitution, international treaties constitute the law of the land and, therefore, Spanish law must be interpreted in conformity with international treaties.
“Denying a people the right to express themselves on the issue of self-determination, denying the legality of a referendum, using force to prevent the holding of a referendum, and cancelling the limited autonomy of a people by way of punishment constitutes a violation of Article 1 of the ICCPR and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Alternatively, addressing the aspiration of peoples to self-determination in a timely fashion is an important conflict prevention measure, as is evidenced by the countless wars that have occurred since 1945 that found their origin in denial of self-determination. Dialogue and political negotiation should be encouraged to prevent violence.
“The Spanish Government appears to invoke the principle of territorial integrity to justify forceful attempts to silence political dissent and aspirations of self-determination. While the principle of territorial integrity is important, as understood in many United Nations Resolutions, including GA Resolutions 2625 and 3314, it is intended to be applied externally, to prohibit foreign threats or incursions into the territorial integrity of sovereign States. This principle cannot be invoked to quench the right of all people, guaranteed under Article 1 of the International Covenants on Human Rights, to express their desire to control their futures. The right of self-determination is a right of peoples and not a prerogative of States to grant or deny. In case of a conflict between the principle of territorial integrity and the human right to self-determination, it is the latter that prevails.
“Of course, there are many peoples worldwide who aspire to self-determination, whether internal in the form of autonomy or external in the form of independence. And while the realization of self-determination is not automatic or self-executing, it is a fundamental human right that the international community should help implement.
“The international law of self-determination has also progressed far beyond mere decolonization. Applying the 15 criteria contained in my 2014 report (paras 63-77), it is evident that no state can use the principle of territorial integrity to deny the right of self-determination and that arguments about the legality of actions taken by Catalonia’s elected parliament are immaterial. Such arguments do not nullify the ius cogens character of self-determination.
“The only democratic solution to the current impasse is to suspend repressive measures and to organize a referendum so as to determine the true wishes of the population concerned. Such a referendum should be monitored by the EU, OSCE and private observers including the Carter Center.”
ENDS
Source: UN official website link
Comunicado oficial de Naciones Unidas
25 de octubre, 2017 — El experto independiente de Naciones Unidas sobre la promoción de un orden internacional democrático y equitativo solicitó a las autoridades españolas establecer negociaciones de buena fe con los líderes de Cataluña, tras el anuncio del gobierno español de activar un artículo de la Constitución que suspendería la autonomía de esa comunidad inmersa en un desafío independentista.
El pasado jueves, el gobierno español decidió poner en marcha los trámites para aplicar el artículo 155 de la Constitución que supondría la intervención del gobierno catalán.
Alfred de Zayas, condenó este miércoles esa decisión del gobierno español y destacó que es incompatible con cuatro artículos - 1,19,25 y 27 - del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos.
El experto de Naciones Unidas destacó que negar a un pueblo la manifestación sobre su autodeterminación, denegar la legalidad de un referéndum, usar la fuerza para impedirlo y anular la autonomía de un pueblo mediante castigo supone una violación del artículo 1º del mencionado Pacto.
Respecto a la aplicación del principio de integridad territorial invocado por el gobierno español, De Zayas, destacó la importancia de éste contenida en muchas resoluciones de la Asamblea General, pero indicó que “su objetivo es aplicarlo externamente, para prohibir las amenazas o incursiones extranjeras en la integridad territorial de los Estados soberanos”.
Añadió que “el derecho de libre determinación es un derecho de los pueblos y no una prerrogativa de los Estados para conceder o negar. En caso de conflicto entre el principio de integridad territorial y el derecho humano a la libre determinación, prevalece este último”.
De Zayas insistió que la única solución democrática a la actual situación es “suspender las medidas represivas y organizar un referéndum que determine los deseos de la población afectada”.
Según la opinión del experto, la consulta tendría que ser supervisada por la Unión Europea, la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación en Europa y observadores internacionales como el Centro Carter.
Los relatores especiales de la ONU y los expertos independientes son nombrados por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, con sede en Ginebra, para examinar e informar sobre temas específicos de derechos humanos o sobre la situación de un país. Son puestos honorarios y los expertos no son personal de Naciones Unidas, ni reciben un salario por su trabajo.
Fuente: enlace de sitio oficial de Naciones Unidas
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