Briefing correspondents at UN Headquarters in New York just a few days after visiting Haiti along with the head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Catherine Russell said “the current situation of insecurity is unacceptable.
“Women and children are dying. Schools and public spaces should always be safe. Collectively the world is failing the Haitian people.”
An estimated 5.2 million – close to half the population – need humanitarian support, including three million children.
Institutions and services children rely on “are barely functional” the Executive Director warned, while violent armed groups control more than 60 per cent of the capital Port au Prince, and parts of the country’s most fertile agricultural areas.
“Haitians and our team there tell me it’s never been worse” she said, with unprecedented malnutrition, grinding poverty, a crippled economy, and a continuing cholera outbreak.
All this “while flooding and earthquakes continue to remind us just how vulnerable Haiti is to climate change and natural disasters”, she added.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell visits a health centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Raped and burnt alive
Ms. Russell recounted some of the shocking testimony she had heard talking to women and girls at a centre for survivors of gender-based violence, which has now reached “staggering levels”.
“An 11-year-old girl told me in the softest of voices that five men had grabbed her off the street. Three of them raped her. She was eight months pregnant when we spoke – and gave birth just a few days later.
“One woman told me that armed men had barged into her house and raped her. She said her 20-year-old sister resisted so strongly that they killed her by setting her on fire. Then they burned down their house.”
The UNICEF chief said she had heard many similar stories, “part of a new strategy” by armed groups.
“They rape girls and women, and they burn their homes to make them more vulnerable and more easily controlled. Because if they break the women, they’ve broken the foundation of the communities.”
Room for hope
She said amid the horror, there had been “some hope” – in the form of extraordinary teachers, health workers, paediatricians, and young people themselves: “A 13-year-old girl, Serafina, told me that she picked doctor as a profession because ‘I love when people take care of other people’.
“These children are what the parents of Haiti are pinning their hopes on. We should all be doing the same.”
The UNICEF chief said she was very proud of the UN humanitarians doing their best on the ground, most of the Haitians. “Many have had to move homes, some multiple times, to find safety from the violence and kidnappings for ransom.”
Act now
She said a bare minimum of $720 million is needed for humanitarian support but less than a quarter of that had been received.
Ms. Russell outlined urgent steps she said need to be taken, including providing immediate extra funding and a better response, a long-term and sustained humanitarian effort, preparedness and resilience-building for natural disasters to come and improved protection for humanitarians.
‘Not irreversible’
Her briefing followed a statement on Wednesday from the recently-appointed independent UN human rights expert on Haiti, William O’Neill who has just concluded a 10 day fact finding mission.
The Human Rights Council-appointed expert who has long experience in the country having helped set up the National Police in 1995, said beyond the gang violence and displacement, land grabs by oligarchs in the northeast had made conditions worse for thousands already living on the edge.
In this context of chronic insecurity, the Haitian authorities face immense challenges. But the situation is not irreversible”, he said.
“Much can be done to address the structural and economic challenges that have led to the current crisis. And this, quickly, and with few means. The State has a fundamental role to play in this regard, as guarantor of the human rights of the population.”
International force needed
Mr. O’Neill said the deployment of a “specialized international force” alongside national police, was “essential to restore the freedom of movement of populations.”
He added that an embargo on arms coming mainly from the United States, established by the UN Security Council, must be immediately implemented.
He said Haiti was at a turning point. “It is urgent to take action. The survival of an entire nation is at stake. The country has the choice to recover, to demonstrate its will to overcome the crisis to move towards a better future or to resign itself and sink further into chaos.
“Ensuring the security and protection of the population, overcoming structural institutional shortcomings, and restoring confidence in public institutions are fundamental prerequisites for holding free and transparent elections and for consolidating the rule of law.”
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts such as Mr. O’Neill, serve in their individual capacity and are independent of any Government or Organization. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
“The violence and suffering of the Syrian people remind us of what is at stake as diplomatic efforts continue on Syria,” said Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for the country. “Ultimately, we need a nationwide ceasefire in line with Security Councilresolution 2254.”
Briefing on current conditions, she said recent reports have tracked deadly drone attacks, shelling, terrorist attacks, and a spate of pro-Government airstrikes.
“Syrians face an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis,” she said.
Against this backdrop, Syrians still face massive displacement, an acute economic crisis, and the tragedy of the detained, disappeared, and missing, she said.
“All of these factors show us why it is so important for renewed diplomacy to translate into real solutions to meet the immediate concerns of the Syrian people, build some trust and confidence among the parties, and move forward towards a political solution,” she stressed.
“Syrians’ needs must be at the centre of our approach, and humanitarian action must be depoliticized,” she added.
Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria.
Humanitarian update
Martin Griffiths, the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator, echoed that call.
“Twelve years of conflict, economic collapse, and other factors have pushed 90 per cent of the population below the poverty line,” he said, adding that a recent visit to the Syrian capital of Damascus left him “with a greater sense of the profound humanitarian challenges but also the urgent opportunities facing Syria”.
Amid the ongoing violence, sharply rising food prices, recovery from the devastating earthquakes in February, and a spreading cholera outbreak, he said the humanitarian community’s “best chance” to improve the future of the Syrian people is further expanding early recovery activities.
Cross-border aid lifelines
Equally important is the Council’s 12-month renewal of its resolution on cross-border operations, which will improve humanitarian conditions, he said.
Calling for increased international support, he said the UN and its partners currently “have limited means to help the most vulnerable people in Syria”, with the $5.4 billion UN humanitarian response plan less than 12 per cent funded.
He said a $200 million deficit will force the World Food Programme (WFP) to slash by 40 per cent its emergency food aid to Syrians for next month.
“The humanitarian response in Syria is at a critical juncture, as is the future of Syria itself,” he said. “Considerable challenges are apparent, but so are important opportunities if we can leverage recovery funding, if we can continue to be present in northwest and northeast Syria, and if we can turn our attention to sectors which have such a central role in determining basic needs”, such as electricity and water.
“We can only address these issues if we can make our presence one of partnership and support to the people who suffered these many years,” he said.
Finding 100,000 missing Syrians
On Thursday afternoon, the UN General Assembly will meet to vote on a draft resolution to establish a first-of-its-kind institution that will work to reveal the fate of an estimated 100,000 people missing or forcibly disappeared in Syria.
Deputy Special Envoy Rochdi said many of the families of the missing are looking to the world body’s vote today “with hope that a new entity dedicated to the issue of missing persons in Syria could bring some measure of relief” to those in and outside the country “who have been demanding their right to know the truth”.
Security Council extends UNDOF mandate
In other business, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Disengagement Force (UNDOF), established in 1974 to, among other things, maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
For more details on this and other meetings occurring throughout the UN system, visit our dedicated UN Meetings Coverage page.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will represent the European Parliament at the summit, address the heads of state or government at 15.00 and hold a press conference after her speech.
EU leaders will meet to discuss the latest developments in Russia, its war of aggression against Ukraine and the EU’s continued support for the country, as well as EU migration and asylum policy. They will also discuss cooperation on security and defence matters, the economic situation in the EU as well as relations with China and the upcoming summit with Latin American and Caribbean states.
Plenary debate ahead of the European Council meeting
In a debate on 14 June, MEPs outlined their expectations for the 29-30 June EU summit, in light of recent events in Ukraine and progress towards concluding the EU’s Migration Pact. They denounced the destruction of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam, the latest war crime committed by Russia that must have consequences, called for the EU to continue to strongly support Ukraine, for new sanctions against Russia, and for the billions of frozen assets by Russian oligarchs to be used to reconstruct Ukraine.
On migration and asylum, some MEPs welcomed the agreement reached by member states as a step forward that will help improve the treatment and reception of refugees, better protect the EU’s external borders, and enable the EU to fight human trafficking more effectively. Some speakers also stressed that the EU must do more to fight the causes of migration and that it needs to cooperate more with third countries. Others criticised the debate as toxic and driven by fear, noting that strengthened borders will not lead to fewer refugees and that the deal in Council de facto abolishes the right to asylum in the EU.
In the resolution adopted on 15 June, MEPs call on NATO allies to honour their commitment to Ukraine and pave the way for Kyiv to be invited to join the defence alliance. They stress that they expect that the “accession process will start after the war is over and be finalised as soon as possible”. Until full membership is achieved, the EU and its member states, together with NATO allies and like-minded partners, must work closely with Ukraine to develop a temporary framework for security guarantees, MEPs say, which is to be implemented immediately after the war.
MEPs condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June, which constitutes a war crime, and call for a comprehensive and adequate EU recovery package for Ukraine that should focus on the country’s immediate, medium- and long-term relief, reconstruction and recovery.
Parliament also reiterated its support for the European Council’s decision to grant Ukraine EU candidate status last year and ask for a clear pathway for the start of accession negotiations, which, with enough support, could begin already this year.
On 9 May plenary approved a proposal to renew the suspension of import duties, anti-dumping duties and safeguards on Ukrainian exports to the European Union for another year, against the background of Russia’s war of aggression that is hampering Ukraine’s ability to trade with the rest of the world. The suspension of tariffs applies to fruits and vegetables subject to the entry price system, as well as agricultural products and processed agricultural products subject to tariff-rate quotas. Industrial products have been subject to zero duties since 1 January 2023 under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, so they are not included in the new proposal.
Proceeding under the urgent procedure, MEPs endorsed on 1 June the legislative proposal on the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), tabled by the European Commission on 3 May. The aim is to deliver ammunition and missiles urgently to Ukraine and to help member states refill their stocks. By introducing targeted measures including €500 million in financing, the Act aims to ramp up the EU’s production capacity and address the current shortage of ammunition, missiles and their components.
On 27 June, Parliament and Council reached a deal on new rules to incentivise EU countries to jointly procure defence products and support the EU’s defence industry. The new regulation will establish a short-term instrument to boost the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA), until 31 December 2024. The tool should help member states fill their most urgent and critical defence needs, especially exacerbated by their transfers of defence products to Ukraine, in a voluntary and collaborative way.
It should also help to foster the competitiveness and efficiency of the European Defence Technological and industrial base, including SMEs and mid-capitalisation companies, by ramping up manufacturing and opening supply chains to cross-border cooperation. At least three member states are needed to activate common procurement, which will cover defence products as defined in Article 2 of Directive 2009/81/EC, including combat medical equipment.
Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI (ECR, PL), rapporteur for the Industry, Research and Energy Committee on EDIRPA
Migration and asylum policy
On migration and asylum, Parliament adopted its negotiating position for talks with Council on 20 April 2023.
Asylum and migration management
The negotiating mandate for the central piece of legislation of the Asylum and Migration Package, on asylum and migration management, was backed by MEPs with 413 votes in favour, 142 against and 20 abstentions. The draft regulation establishes improved criteria to determine which member state is responsible for processing an asylum application (the so-called ‘Dublin’ criteria) and would ensure responsibility is shared fairly between countries. It includes a binding solidarity mechanism to assist countries experiencing migratory pressure, including following search and rescue operations at sea.
Screening of third-country nationals
The decision to start negotiations on this new regulation was confirmed with 419 votes in favour, 126 against and 30 abstentions. For the centralised system on conviction information (ECRIS-TCN) negotiations, the result was 431 votes in favour, 121 against and 25 abstentions. These rules will apply at EU borders to persons who do not in principle fulfil the entry conditions of an EU member state. They include identification, fingerprinting, security checks, and preliminary health and vulnerability assessment. In their amendments, MEPs added an independent fundamental rights monitoring mechanism that would also verify border surveillance, in order to make sure that possible pushbacks are reported and investigated.
Crisis situation
The decision to start negotiations for the crisis situations regulation was confirmed with 419 votes in favour, 129 against and 30 abstentions. The text focuses on sudden mass arrivals of third country nationals leading to a crisis situation in a particular member state that would, based on a Commission assessment, include mandatory relocations and derogations of screening and asylum procedures.
Long-term resident directive
By 391 to 140 and 25 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a negotiating mandate for proposed changes to the current long-term resident directive. These include granting EU long-term permits after three years of legal residence more quickly than before and the possibility to integrate persons enjoying temporary protection status. EU long-term residents would be able to move to another EU country without additional work restrictions and their dependent children would automatically be granted the same status.
Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES), Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, rapporteur for the regulation for Crisis and Force majeure
Against the backdrop of China’s continued rise as a political and economic powerhouse on the world stage, MEPs discussed on 18 April the need for a coherent strategy on the superpower. MEPs were united in their call for an effective, consistent and unified strategy on China. We cannot be confrontational, but our policy should be based on reciprocity, mutual respect and respect of international law, they said. The EU has to defend its economic interests and values.
Some MEPs criticised the recent statement by French President Macron on Taiwan, deeming it naive to say Taiwan does not concern Europe. They also pointed out that the delivery of arms to Russia and changing the status quo on Taiwan are not acceptable for the EU. Against the backdrop of China’s oppression of the Uyghurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region, some Members urged the EU to keep pushing Beijing to respect human rights, saying these rights are not an afterthought to the EU’s foreign policy, but rather constitute the core of it.
Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Greens/EFA, DE),Chair of the Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China
EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit
After visiting Brazil and Uruguay from 14 to 20 May, MEPs in the International Trade Committee concluded that “there was a general mutual understanding in both countries that the upcoming months are an excellent window of opportunity” to finalise the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement and bring its ratification forward during the second half of 2023. In this regard, the upcoming third EU-CELAC summit of heads of state or government, taking place in Brussels on 17-18 July 2023, could give crucial impetus to the process, both sides agree.
On 21-22 June, a delegation of MEPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee visited Brasília for talks with high-level representatives of the Brazilian government, members of the National Congress, civil society groups and think tanks. Among other things, they also discussed trade, the EU-Mercosur agreement, geopolitical challenges in Latin America, the upcoming EU-CELAC summit, as well as how to revamp EU-Brazil relations after the election of Lula da Silva as President of Brazil.
A better understanding is needed of how owners, construction contractors and installers interact and perceive possible advantages of renovating their houses, apartments and other buildings to improve energy efficiency. This would help bolster European policies to shift the building sector to a carbon-neutral future. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today explores the behaviours of these actors in the building sector and how they can influence decisions on whether and when to invest in energy renovations.
Policy makers can better account for the drivers and barriers related to renovation investments if they take better account of human behavioural factors involved in such decisions. This requires a better understanding of the different actors involved in making decisions on improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings, as well as their respective motivations.
For instance, owners play a key role in making decisions to invest in renovations. For them, improvements to living and building conditions for themselves or for tenants are amongst the most important drivers of investing in energy efficiency renovations. Reducing energy consumption is sometimes perceived as only a side benefit, according to the EEA analysis. However, the energy price crisis of last year has increased awareness of consumption levels and the importance of improving energy efficiency to reduce energy bills. The perceived level of effort and potential disruption required to complete energy renovations, and uncertainties on the outcome of the investment are also key.
Construction contractors and installers are influential through the advice they provide to owners and in turn are influenced by factors such as the culture and social influence of their workplaces and the behaviour of their peers.
In the design of policies, considering stakeholders’ motives to invest and the heterogeneity of population groups could help to increase the rate of energy efficiency renovations. This could involve better designing communication actions (like targeting the most influential stakeholders, addressing key trigger points) and tailoring interventions (like one-stop shops, financial support) to specific target groups.
Even if the renovation rate does increase, a rebound effect may jeopardise the resulting increases in energy efficiency. Addressing behavioural factors can help to mitigate the rebound effect after renovation.
The EEA briefing concludes that behavioural initiatives should not be regarded as stand-alone solutions. Rather, they should be seen as part of a holistic approach to policymaking that combines behavioural insights and traditional approaches based on economic instruments and pricing.
To mark the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament and in the run-up to the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union to be held in the first half of 2024, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will be received by Their Majesties the King and Queen at the Château de Laeken.
Parliament political groups’ leaders, Bureau members and committees’ chairs will also be among the guests. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday from 19:00.
Background
10 September 2022 marked the 70th anniversary of the first meeting of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). Convened in 1952, it comprised 78 appointed parliamentarians from the national parliaments of each member state.
In 1958, following the creation of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, the Common Assembly of the ECSC was enlarged and renamed the ”European Parliamentary Assembly”. In 1962, it adopted the name “European Parliament”.
EINPRESSWIRE // OSCE Viena – The protection of freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental pillar of democratic societies, and the issue of tolerance and non-discrimination is a major one that the OSCE – ODIHR approaches with civil society and participating states during their Human Dimension Implementation meetings and other events.
Last 26th and 27th of June, the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting organized by OSCE ODIHR took place in Vienna. The North Macedonian Chair-In-Person was followed by most of the representatives of the participating states of the OSCE, and hundreds of grassroots NGOs to exchange and dialogue about the challenges and proposals for solutions.
The two-day meeting delved into the crucial role played by civil society organizations in promoting and safeguarding tolerance while combating discrimination. It also assessed the effectiveness and challenges through sometimes heated discussions on how to provide them with the necessary support and space to carry out their valuable work.
Participants concentrated on three interconnected themes. The initial session shed light on the strategies employed by civil society to foster respect for diversity among young people and tackle intolerance and hatred in the online realm through public educational initiatives. Scientology representative Ivan Arjona was the organizer of one of the eight side events that took place. He explained how the Human Rights online course sponsored by Scientology, and the “How to Solve Conflicts” course (this last one based on the discoveries of L. Ron Hubbard) can be beneficial to Scientologists and non-Scientologists. He elaborated on the tools that can be used to overcome more easily any attempt of discrimination and also help others to do the same in daily life.
Before the side event, during the session entitled “Civil Society Educational Efforts in Promoting Tolerance and Non-Discrimination”, Arjona, like a dozen of others, was given the floor.
He explained to the representatives of the 57 participating states and the hundreds of NGOs that some German public schools “had fostered and sponsored discrimination to minors, teaching propaganda about which religion not to learn about, and dehumanizing in some cases members of the Church of Scientology.” He further explained that “German authorities, despite over 50 court decisions telling the political powers and the judiciary to treat Scientology and Scientologists within the protection of the right to freedom of belief enshrined in the constitution, turn a deaf ear.
Too many continue to request local administrations or companies that receive public funding, to exclude Scientologists from public and private employments such as city gardeners or architects, to name just two.”
He demanded the authorities to stop this “decade’s long discrimination that forces individuals to spend their salaries or savings on having to defend their rights in court, in addition to the dehumanization that they have to endure when such discrimination happens”.
The German government representative unexpectedly asked to use her right to reply and confirmed in front of all delegations that:
“individual persons, who live by the teachings and standards of Scientology or of other religions, depending on the circumstances of the particular case, can claim the protection of Article 4 [Freedom of religion or worldview of the German Basic Law].”
The German official continued and encouraged Scientologist to seek religious freedom protection in court saying “Provided that members of the Scientology […] in Germany in individual cases consider to have been harmed in their basic rights by state agencies, have for that purpose all available remedies under the rule of law at their disposal. In the Federal Republic of Germany it is guaranteed that violations of basic rights can each be scrutinized in individual cases and that legal protection is available” she concluded.
The Scientology representative expressed his happiness for the positive change of language, which “is an important step forward to be cultivated”, and stressed that in fact, “Scientologists and their Church have been doing that for more than 40 years.” This has brought them to win over 50 court cases in Germany alone.
Arjona raises an important question: “With all these cases won by Scientology, and considering we are now well into the 21st century, an era of diversity, tolerance, and human rights, isn’t it time for German politics to take one additional simple step and put an end to the written and unwritten policies that perpetuate intolerance and discrimination against human beings?”
And to conclude, Arjona explains that experts in religious freedom worldwide share concerns regarding the sponsorship of hate speech and discrimination by German authorities against Scientologists. The numerous victories in over 50 court decisions shed light on the unjust treatment faced by Scientologists and expose the existence of structural bias that either fosters or, at the very least, condones these violations. A recent ruling of April 2022 by the Federal Supreme Administrative Court on a so-called ‘sect filter’ case serves as a significant milestone in the struggle for religious liberty. It emphasizes the importance of upholding constitutional guarantees and equal treatment under the law. This ruling should serve as a reminder to recognize and respect the rights of all religious minorities, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and tolerant society, “as it is happening in countries such as Spain, Holland, Portugal, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, South Africa and others where Scientology has been fully recognized as a bonafide religion,” ends Arjona.
Imagine the following picture. You stand and calmly watch TV. And your dog is meekly sitting next to you and … looking only at you. You get up and go to make dinner – the pet changes its location in the kitchen and focuses on your face again. It’s like he only has eyes for you and doesn’t care about anything else. You go to the bathroom and… he’s with you again, staring at your actions. And stares and stares…
Why is our dog so obsessed with everything we do and constantly, through staring, seeks contact with us?
Check out the 5 main reasons for this behavior. We are sure – you will easily recognize what the animal is trying to tell you!
• Demonstration of love and affection
Just as we humans cannot “take our eyes off” the object of our innermost feelings, we strive to look into the eyes of our mate, so dogs use the gaze to display the adoration they feel for their owners.
According to recent research related to canine behavior, the mutual gaze between us and our pet releases the same hormonal response that occurs between a mother and her baby. Therefore, if the animal looks at you longingly and for no other apparent reason, this is a sign, that it loves you and is just happy to have you around.
• Attention seeking
Often, dogs start staring at their owners in search of attention. This is not necessarily tied to a specific action that you are expected to do such as pet them or play with them. Rather, they want you to notice that they are in the room too, to indicate their presence.
• The dog is confused
You will easily recognize this state because it includes, in addition to the typical gaze staring at you, a slightly tilted head, sometimes – and slightly curled ears. Yes, dogs have the cutest and most inimitable way of showing us that they’re not sure what’s going on, what they’re doing, and that they expect us to give them direction. Sometimes, if we have given them a certain command and they respond with a look like that, then maybe they don’t quite understand what is being asked of them. In this situation, it is good to think about whether your pet’s training has given the necessary result and whether not to reinforce the main ones through more repetitions.
• Wants something
Often times our dog stares at us for a long time as if expecting to get something. This type of learned behavior is, in most cases, the fault of the owners themselves, who have taught the animal that if it gives them “that pitiful look” it will receive a reward. Whether it’s a walk, a treat, a cuddle or a game, if you reward them with something every time they stand and stare at you, dogs will naturally keep doing it to get what they want.
• A sign of aggression
The focused look of our pet can tell us a few minutes in advance that the dog feels threatened or is inclined to show aggression. Most often in such situations it stands motionless, the fur on its back rises – “stingles”. Usually aggressive looks are directed at unknown dogs, less often – at their owners. It’s important to watch your dog’s body language when interacting with other pets, especially males.
Staring at owners or other dogs may seem strange to us, but in the canine world it is an established form of communication.
Therefore, the next time you wonder why he is “staring at you”, ask yourself what is behind those looks and what is going through the mind of our pet.
Photo by Dominika Roseclay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/winking-black-and-brown-puppy-2023384/
Today, on 29 June, Juan Percowicz, the founder of the Yoga School of Buenos Aires (BAYS), is 85 years old. Last year, six weeks after his birthday, he was arrested with 18 other people from his yoga school and detained for 18 days in a cell with nine other prisoners in inhuman conditions. When he was released from the Argentinian prison hell, he was kept in home detention for 67 more days.
Juan Percowicz, the founder of the BAYS yoga school
HRWF has recently interviewed Juan Percowicz who during his professional life as a certified public accountant and a licentiate in administration. In 1993, he was honoured by the World Education Council for his labor as an educator.
One year after his ordeal, he remains innocent of the charges brought against him by a person whose name is still undisclosed: trafficking in women for sexual exploitation and money laundering. However, every one of the alleged victims has denied being such.
As in many other countries, including in the European Union and other democracies, there are serious abuses of custody and pretrial detention in inhumane conditions and for disproportionate periods. Argentina is no exception to the rule and Mr Percowicz was a victim of such abuses.
Arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions in Argentina is an issue that needs to be raised at the United Nations and in other international fora.
Q.: In which circumstances were you arrested in a massive raid targeting about 50 private homes?
Juan Percowicz: On 12 August 2022 I was resting in a house that I had rented to recover from the persistent after-effects of two years of confinement and immobility due to the COVID pandemic. I had almost stopped walking during that period. I was moving with great difficulty because of a stroke and only with a cane.
On that fateful evening, I was lying on my bed when suddenly there was a deafening roar followed by many screams and threatening voices. I could hear people running around everywhere inside but I couldn’t understand what was going on.
I was very scared because I was not used to getting visitors and even less so without warning. My first thought was that thieves had broken in.
I soon saw two of my people lying on the floor and people in uniform pointing long guns at them.
I could hear a lot of shouting and I began to distinguish some words “Nobody moves, this is a raid”.
Everything was confusing and above all violent, very violent.
I could not understand why we were treated like dangerous criminals. I never had anything to hide or anything to feel at fault for.
The first thing they did was to take us all to the living room, screaming and handcuffing us, ordering us not to talk to each other or they would separate us. There were five of us and more than 10 of them.
They read us our names and told us that after going through the whole house, which they did with a lot of violence, they would read us their search report.
We could not understand what was happening. Our lives depended on a group of men in uniform who were not willing to explain to us immediately what was going on or what crime we were supposed to have committed. We had to make a lot of efforts to remain quiet without protesting.
The raid, the shouting and the threats lasted for about 15 hours throughout the night.
They searched the whole house. They took all the electronic devices, computers, silver coins from a collection, all the personal papers they found, personal diaries and notebooks and all the money we had, even what we had in our wallets and many other things.
They told us that the procedure was being carried out in about 50 places at the same time, including my home. This made me even more afraid because it was so disproportionate and incomprehensible.
I could not rest all night because of the procedure and the threats.
On the next day at noon, we were transferred to the police station.
The interrogation
Q.: How did the transfer occur?
Juan Percowicz: On the trip I got sick and vomited several times.
When they took us out of the house, they took pictures of us handcuffed in front of a poster. They filmed us as we left and all the pictures were soon published in the press saying that they had disbanded “a cult of horror” and imprisoned the leader.
They told us that they were detaining us to take our data and then they would release us. However, after many hours spent in the police station where they took our fingerprints several times and asked us several times for our personal data, they told us that we were going to be detained.
Those who were arrested with me desperately tried to call the policemen to reason. They told the guards that my life was in great danger if I did not get the medical care and the medication I needed and insisted that they should consider my age, my state of health and my pathologies, but in vain.
The officers were constantly whispering with pride among themselves about the great catch they had made.
The detention
HRWF: How were your detention conditions?
Juan Percowicz: I was taken along with nine companions to a deep, dark and damp basement.
They lowered me down in a dirty wheelchair that we managed to get but I could fall at any time and get seriously injured while going down a steep staircase.
They took my cane and my belongings. I had brought my blood pressure monitor and a glucose measuring device because I am diabetic. They took them from me when they stripped me of my clothes to control my health.
I was very cold, hungry and thirsty.
I was then led down some dark, gloomy, faded and dirty barred corridors to the basement.
Along with the growing confusion and bewilderment, it seemed that the spaces were shrinking and becoming more and more gloomy and threatening.
We tried to encourage each other, but inside we had a feeling of total insecurity and helplessness.
A sink without any water
We arrived at a space measuring approximately 5 x 4 m, dark, windowless, very humid, and inhospitable, with bars separating it from the corridor. I understood that it was our cell. The floor was entirely covered by the mattresses on which we were to sleep. They were absolutely broken, stripped and dangerously dirty. In a corner, there was a hole in the floor to be used as a toilet and a sink without any water.
I could never have imagined in my life that one day I would live for 18 days in such conditions.
I can hardly walk, as I said, and I had to sleep on the floor but I was very grateful to be with companions who could help me to move at any time. Alone, I would never have managed it. There was no decent bathroom or water nearby.
We still did not understand what was happening and why we were prisoners. We had no answers and nothing made sense. There was nothing to justify our deprivation of freedom in such awful conditions.
On the next day our comrades who were free managed to bring us some food and some protection against the cold and the humidity.
I was also worried about the health and well-being of those who were with me. Some of them had some pathologies and needed specific care.
At the court
Q.: When were you taken to court and how was the media coverage?
Juan Percowicz: Three days after the raid, I was taken in a wheelchair to the court in Comodoro Py to testify. When we were leaving the police station, they made us get in and out of the truck twice because the person filming the transfer did not get the filming right. I was taken handcuffed in a transport truck.
In Comodoro Py the magistrates read some illogical and unintelligible accusations, which corresponded more to a fantastic novel than to reality.
Comodoro Py Court (Credit: DYN)
Once again, when I got off, media people were filming. My photo was in the news all the time with the most infamous and lying stories. Every time there was a transfer, people were filming us: the media and the police. I was repeatedly presented in the media as a corrupt, diabolical and dangerous person, without any reason or evidence of any kind to support such a hypothesis. My reputation was shattered and soiled, damaged forever.
Inhumane detention conditions for 18 days
Q.: How was the daily life in detention?
Juan Percowicz: There were three guard shifts.
The guard who arrived in the morning at about 5:30-6:00 would take a head count to make sure we were all there.
I will never forget the noise of the keys opening bars and moving irons and padlocks. Every morning I was wondering for how many more days the whole nightmare would go on.
During the night I was trying to rest but I had to get up many times to urinate, and in those deplorable conditions much more than usual.
We had breakfast thanks to the things that our companions brought us from outside.
Every time I moved, I needed the help of three of them to get up and move around, because as time went on my body became more and more numb.
Once the comrades tried to pour water with a bucket over the sink that did not work, but the drain was broken and the water came out on the floor of the cell and the mattresses got wet.
Our cell could only get some light from a low-intensity bulb in the entrance corridor, too far away to be efficient.
We did not know if it was night or day. Our only landmark was the changing of the guard.
One day the sewage drain in the latrines was clogged and dirty water began to come out through a drain a few meters away. We had to lift our mattresses so that they would not get wet with the infected water. Some of our colleagues unclogged the pipes with tape but had to endure grabbing and splashing faecal matter in order to keep us from being flooded with shit. All this took place in the dark.
Everyone was very worried about me and I was worried about them. The situation was desperately incomprehensible to everyone. The days went by and nothing was changing. I did not know how or when it would end.
Back home with an electronic anklet and a trauma
Q.: How was your life when you were under home arrest?
Argentina and its Yoga School: Happy 85th birthday, Mr Percowicz 6
Juan Percowicz: Eighteen days after my detention I was transferred to my home to continue my captivity in house arrest with an electronic anklet.
In the meantime, my health had seriously deteriorated, my body was numb, my legs were swollen and I was almost almost unable to walk. I was physically very weak.
I could not leave the apartment at all. A policeman came in the morning and another one at night to check me and my anklet. I also could not have any contact with the outside world. That lasted for 67 days.
To this day I have had nightmares of persecution. Sometimes I try to watch some news or programs about the raid and the judicial procedures broadcast during my incarceration but it is too painful. I am still deeply hurt by the determination of some to destroy us and by the malice of an infamous press.
I am deeply grateful to God for having kept me alive in such adverse moments and in the company of friends who protected and defended me at every step.
A large group of Members of the European Parliament, judges, and officials gathered in Brussels on Tuesday evening to support Omar Harfouch, the Leader of the Third Lebanon Republic initiative, who is being politically and judicially repressed for his fight against corruption in Lebanon.
A conference was held on Tuesday evening at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels to discuss the future of Lebanon and the role of the European Union in advancing human rights in the country. The conference was attended by European deputies, judges, and officials, as well as Omar Harfouch, the Leader of the Third Lebanon Republic initiative. Harfouch is a Lebanese activist who has been persecuted by the Lebanese government for his work to fight corruption. The conference was held in support of Harfouch and his efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Lebanon.
The conference was held few days ago at the invitation of a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET),MEP Lukas Mandel, and was titled “Which Future for Lebanon? The Role of the European Union in Advancing Human Rights in Lebanon.” According to sources, the most prominent figures who attended the meeting were the Public Prosecutor of Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Andre Petrojev, a member of the French Senate, Natalie Gaulier, and the founder of “Sherpa” lawyer William Bourdon, in addition to Representatives from various European countries.
Claude Moniquet, a former intelligence agent at the French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), and CEO of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (ESISC) believes that Harfouch was the victim of an unfair and unlawful campaign to have him imprisoned. He called on the European Union to intervene and cancel the arrest warrant against Harfouch, arguing that the charges against him, which were brought by the Lebanese Prime Minister personally, did not give him the right to defend himself in court. Moniquet also pointed out that the accusations against Harfouch of meeting with Israelis or Jews under the roof of the European Parliament were an insult to the EU, as it is a place where people of all nationalities and religions come together.
Moniquet urged European countries to protect Harfouch from the political and judicial targeting he is facing in Lebanon, to cancel the illegal arrest warrant, and to impose sanctions on the politicians and judges involved in the case. The issue of sanctions against those involved in the Harfouch case is also expected to be on the agenda of the European Union in September when a vote on the matter will be held.
Upon his return from Beirut, lawyer William Bourdon spoke about the fight against corruption in Lebanon. He highlighted how the crimes committed by Riad Salameh, the Governor of the Banque du Liban, have been exposed, including the freezing of funds in Europe that he personally supervised. Bourdon warned that the coming days could bring trouble for some politicians who have been involved in corruption and money laundering
The intervention of Judge Ghada Aoun was under embargo on her demand who spoke about the corrupted judges in Lebanon and that without real justice the state of Lebanon would not exist, and considered that what Harfouch is exposed to is the best evidence of the existence of corruption in the judiciary.
In turn, Harfouch touched on his case in the military court, especially that the court moved against him with superficial allegations, specially considering that being in the same place with an Israeli journalist happened already in 2004 and long time has passed by, and that the real reason is that Harfouch fights corruption and exposes many scandals and files.
It is noteworthy that Harfouch did not mention during his speech the prime minister, Najib Mikati, or the first investigative judge in Tripoli, Samaranda Nassar who are doing a real unjustified war against him. When asked about the reason for not mentioning them, he said that he did not want to use the European Union platform to score points, and that those present talked about the issue and the result will come on conclusions.
But the point that aroused the attention of the audience was when Harfouch touched upon what Judge Aoun, lawyer Wadih Akl and Harfouch were subjected to, in terms of parallel political and judicial campaigns in terms of timing and source, because the trio were the ones who most confronted the corrupt in Lebanon, so the system wanted to get rid of them in any way.
The session came a week before the European Parliament voted on a decision regarding Lebanon and the possibility of including sanctions against officials in it who are related to corruption or those who protect the corrupt and a possible resolution in next September, after it was debated during the plenary session a week ago in Strasbourg and the case of Omar Harfouch was mentioned publicly and officially during the session, which is likely to be mentioned on the European decision itself.
A strongly worded statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. Antonio Guterres, it says, urged the Government of Israel to halt and reverse the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to immediately and completely cease all settlements activities there and to respect its relevant legal obligations.
The statement refers to the Monday’s advancement of plans for over 5,500 housing units in Israeli settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank, including the retroactive regularization, under Israeli law, of three settlement outposts adjacent to the settlement of Eli.
Settlements impede peace
Antonio Guterres emphasized that Israel’s persistent expansion of settlements, including in East Jerusalem, “deepens humanitarian needs, fuels violence, increases the risk of confrontation, further entrenches the occupation, and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.
The UN chief warned that the ongoing settlements are eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and viable sovereign Palestinian State, based on the pre-1967 lines and impede the ability to achieve a viable two-State solution, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
