العدالة الانتقالية وبناء السلطة القضائية المستقلة في سورياTransitional Justice and Building an Independent Judiciary in SyriaJusticia transicional y construcción de un poder judicial independiente en SiriaJustice transitionnelle et construction d'un système judiciaire indépendant en SyrieÜbergangsjustiz und Aufbau einer unabhängigen Justiz in SyrienGiustizia di transizione e costruzione di un potere giudiziario indipendente in Siria

 

العدالة الانتقالية وبناء السلطة القضائية المستقلة في سوريا
مجموعة من أجل العدالة في سوريا

بدأت مع انقلاب 8 آذار/ مارس 1963 وإعلان حالة الطوارئ مرحلة اغتيال استقلال القضاء، وقد وقفت الرابطة السورية لحقوق الإنسان ونقابات المحامين في وجه القرارات الجائرة بحق القضاة والنقابات المهنية. مع اغتيال السلطة القضائية المستقلة استفردت الطغمة الأمنية بالسلطات التنفيذية والتشريعية والقضائية: قضاءُ تعليمات برسم الطاغية، مجلس شعب دون شعب منتخب، ووزراء يديرون أمور الدولة المخطوفة.
ستون عاما من الطغيان، ومن المقاومة المدنية... كلنا عانى من السجن والنفي والتنكيل، ولكن بقي الحلم ببناء دولة قانون أملنا في الخلاص وتخليص شعبنا من هذا الكابوس الذي عاش وأزمن وأجرم بحق أجيال.
لن يشوه ما فعله النظام المجرم وغيره، صفاء الرؤية عندنا، ونرفض منطق الثأر والقتل كذلك منطق القتل "المشروع" والقتل غير المشروع. إن مرجعيتنا في إقامة العدل تستند إلى المبادئ الإنسانية التي صدقت عليها الدول الإسلامية وغير الإسلامية والشرعة الدولية لحقوق الإنسان.
في العام/2004/ صدر تقرير الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة كوفي عنان- عن العدالة الانتقالية في مجتمعات الصراع. وقد عالج ثلاث قضايا رئيسية وهامة:
الأولى: تركيز الأمم المتحدة على مسألتي العدالة الانتقالية وسيادة القانون. في مجتمعات الصراع وما بعده.
الثانية: ايلاء "التقييمات والمشاركات والاحتياجات والأماني المحلية" الاهتمام المناسب وتقديم الدعم الأممي على هذا الأساس.
الثالثة: وجوب دعم الأمم المتحدة للدوائر المحلية المعنية بالإصلاح والمساعدة في بناء المؤسسات الوطنية لقطاع العدالة. اضافة الى ضرورة المساعدة على سد الفراغ في مجال سيادة القانون.
هذه المسائل الثلاثة نحن بأمس الحاجة لها في سوريا اليوم، لذا تم التواصل مع خمسين قاضيا ومحاميا وحقوقيا من مختلف المناطق السورية لتدريبهم بشكل مكثف على أساسيات العدالة الإنتقالية وفق تجارب الشعوب والسمات العيانية لكل بلد وفق التعريف الدولي للمصطلح «الآليات التى يجب أن يقوم بها المجتمع للتعامل مع تركة تجاوزات الماضى واسعة النطاق، بغية كفالة المساءلة وإقامة العدالة وتحقيق المصالحة». والتزامات سورية في العهد الخاص بالحقوق السياسية والمدنية المصدق عليه منذ 1968.
عدد من أهم الكفاءات الدولية التي عملت معنا في تدريب لتونس والسودان والمغرب جرى الاتصال معها لتكون في عداد المدربين ولبناء الهيئة العليا المستقلة للعدالة الانتقالية.
ستقوم هذه الهيئة بالتوثيق والرصد والملاحقة لكل الجرائم الجسيمة التي ارتكبت وترتكب بحق أبناء الشعب السوري في مختلف المناطق. ولن يفلت من العقاب أي شخص تلوثت يديه بدم السوريين.
إننا نتوجه إلى المجموعات المسلحة بالقول: لن يكون أحد منكم فوق القانون وخارج المحاسبة. كذلك لمن فر أو هرب من البلاد، العالم قرية صغيرة ولن يفلت من يرتكب جرائم جسيمة بحق أبناء سورية الحبيبة أو نهب أموال الناس من المحاسبة أينما كان.
إقامة العدالة هي ضمان بناء سوريا الحرة المستقلة الكريمة لكل أبنائها.
وقع على هذا المحضر: منظمات حقوقية ومدنية وشخصيات قانونية سورية من داخل وخارج البلاد.
ترسل أسماء من يُقسم على احترام هذا العهد إلى البريد الإلكتروني tribunalswatch@gmail.com
سيكون الإعلان عن أهم المبادرين والمبادرات في اليوم العالمي لحقوق الإنسان في 10/12/2024

Transitional Justice and Building an Independent Judiciary in Syria
Group for Justice in Syria, December 10, 2024, the International Human Rights Day
With the coup of March 8, 1963, and the declaration of a state of emergency, the phase of assassinating the independence of the judiciary began. The Syrian League for Human Rights and the lawyers' unions stood in the face of unjust decisions against judges and professional unions. With the assassination of the independent judiciary, the security junta monopolized the executive, legislative, and judicial powers: a judiciary at the tyrant’s behest, a people's assembly without elected people, and ministers who manage the affairs of the kidnapped state.
Sixty years of tyranny, of civil resistance... We all suffered from imprisonment, exile, and abuse, but the dream of building a state of law remained our hope for salvation and ridding our people of this nightmare that lived, lasted, and committed crimes against generations.
What the criminal regime and others did will not distort the clarity of our vision, and we reject the logic of revenge and killing as well as the logic of "legitimate" killing and illegal killing. Our reference in the administration of justice is based on humanitarian principles ratified by Muslim and non- Muslim countries and the International Bill of Human Rights.
In 2004, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan published a report entitled "Transitional Justice in Conflict Societies." It addressed three main and important issues:
First, the United Nations focuses on transitional justice and the rule of law in conflict societies and beyond.
Second, Give appropriate attention to "local assessments, participation, needs and aspirations" and provide international support based on this.
Third, the United Nations must support local reform services and help build national justice sector institutions. It also needs to help fill the vacuum in the field of the rule of law.
These three issues are urgently needed in Syria today, so we contacted fifty judges, lawyers, and human rights activists from various Syrian regions to intensively train them on the basics of transitional justice according to the experiences of people and the specific characteristics of each country according to the international definition of the term "mechanisms that society must undertake to deal with the legacy of large-scale past transgressions, to ensure accountability, establish justice and achieve reconciliation." Syria's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified in 1968.
Several of the most essential international competencies who worked with us in training Tunisia, Sudan, and Morocco were contacted to be among the trainers and build the Independent High Commission for Transitional Justice.
This body will document, monitor, and prosecute all grave crimes committed and are being committed against the Syrian people in various regions. No one whose hands are stained with Syrian blood will go unpunished.
We want to clarify to all armed groups that no one is above the law or can escape accountability. This also applies to those who have fled the country; the world is interconnected, and those who commit serious crimes against the people of Syria or steal from them will ultimately face justice, no matter where they are.
Establishing justice is essential for creating a free, independent, and dignified Syria for all its people.
This statement is supported by Syrian civil and human rights organizations and legal experts from within the country and abroad.
Please send the names of those who pledge to uphold this commitment to tribunalswatch@gmail.com so we can keep track of them.
We will announce the key initiators and initiatives on December 10, 2024, on International Human Rights Day.

Justicia transicional y construcción de un poder judicial independiente en Siria
Grupo por la Justicia en Siria, 10 de diciembre de 2024, Día Internacional de los Derechos Humanos
Con el golpe de Estado del 8 de marzo de 1963 y la declaración del estado de emergencia, comenzó la fase de asesinato de la independencia del poder judicial. La Liga Siria de Derechos Humanos y los sindicatos de abogados se opusieron a las decisiones injustas contra los jueces y los sindicatos profesionales. Con el asesinato del poder judicial independiente, la junta de seguridad monopolizó los poderes ejecutivo, legislativo y judicial: un poder judicial bajo los órdenes del tirano, una asamblea popular sin gente elegida y ministros que gestionan los asuntos del Estado secuestrado.
Sesenta años de tiranía, de resistencia civil... Todos sufrimos encarcelamiento, exilio y abusos, pero el sueño de construir un Estado de derecho siguió siendo nuestra esperanza de salvación y de librar a nuestro pueblo de esta pesadilla que vivió, duró y cometió crímenes contra generaciones.
Lo que hicieron el régimen criminal y otros no distorsionará la claridad de nuestra visión, y rechazamos la lógica de la venganza y la matanza, así como la lógica de la matanza «legítima» y la matanza ilegal. Nuestra referencia en la administración de justicia se basa en los principios humanitarios ratificados por los países musulmanes y no musulmanes y en la Carta Internacional de Derechos Humanos.
En 2004, el Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, Kofi Annan, publicó un informe titulado «Justicia de transición en las sociedades en conflicto». En él se abordaban tres cuestiones principales e importantes:
Primero, las Naciones Unidas se centran en la justicia transicional y el Estado de derecho en las sociedades en conflicto y más allá.
Segundo, prestar la debida atención a «las evaluaciones, la participación, las necesidades y las aspiraciones locales» y proporcionar apoyo internacional en función de ello.
En tercer lugar, las Naciones Unidas deben apoyar los servicios locales de reforma y ayudar a crear instituciones nacionales del sector de la justicia. También deben ayudar a llenar el vacío existente en el ámbito del Estado de Derecho.
Estas tres cuestiones son urgentes en la Siria actual, por lo que nos pusimos en contacto con cincuenta jueces, abogados y activistas de derechos humanos de diversas regiones sirias para formarles intensivamente sobre los fundamentos de la justicia transicional de acuerdo con las experiencias de las personas y las características específicas de cada país según la definición internacional del término «mecanismos que la sociedad debe emprender para hacer frente al legado de transgresiones pasadas a gran escala, garantizar la rendición de cuentas, establecer la justicia y lograr la reconciliación.» Obligaciones de Siria en virtud del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, ratificado en 1968.
Varias de las competencias internacionales más esenciales que trabajaron con nosotros en la formación de Túnez, Sudán y Marruecos fueron contactadas para formar parte de los formadores y construir la Alta Comisión Independiente para la Justicia Transicional.
Este organismo documentará, supervisará y perseguirá todos los graves crímenes cometidos y que se están cometiendo contra el pueblo sirio en diversas regiones. Nadie cuyas manos estén manchadas de sangre siria quedará impune.
Queremos aclarar a todos los grupos armados que nadie está por encima de la ley ni puede eludir la rendición de cuentas. Esto también se aplica a quienes han huido del país; el mundo está interconectado, y quienes cometan delitos graves contra el pueblo de Siria o le roben acabarán enfrentándose a la justicia, estén donde estén.
Establecer la justicia es esencial para crear una Siria libre, independiente y digna para todo su pueblo.
Esta declaración cuenta con el apoyo de organizaciones civiles y de derechos humanos sirias y de expertos jurídicos del país y del extranjero.
Por favor, envíen los nombres de quienes se comprometan a mantener este compromiso a tribunalswatch@gmail.com para que podamos seguirlos.
Anunciaremos los principales iniciadores e iniciativas el 10 de diciembre de 2024, en el Día Internacional de los Derechos Humanos.

Justice transitionnelle et construction d'un système judiciaire indépendant en Syrie
Groupe pour la justice en Syrie, 10 décembre 2024, Journée internationale des droits humains
Avec le coup d'État du 8 mars 1963 et la déclaration de l'état d'urgence, la phase d'assassinat de l'indépendance du pouvoir judiciaire a commencé. La Ligue syrienne des droits de l'homme et les syndicats d'avocats se sont opposés aux décisions injustes prises à l'encontre des juges et des syndicats professionnels. Avec l'assassinat de la justice indépendante, la junte sécuritaire a monopolisé les pouvoirs exécutif, législatif et judiciaire : une justice aux ordres du tyran, une assemblée populaire sans élus de peuple et des ministres qui gèrent les affaires de l'Etat kidnappé.
Soixante ans de tyrannie, de résistance civile... Nous avons tous souffert de l'emprisonnement, de l'exil et des abus, mais le rêve de construire un État de droit est resté notre espoir de salut et de débarrasser notre peuple de ce cauchemar qui a vécu, duré et commis des crimes contre des générations.
Ce que le régime criminel et d'autres ont fait ne faussera pas la clarté de notre vision, et nous rejetons la logique de la vengeance et du meurtre, ainsi que la logique du meurtre « légitime » et du meurtre illégal. Notre référence en matière d'administration de la justice se fonde sur les principes humanitaires ratifiés par les pays musulmans et non musulmans et sur la Charte internationale des droits humains.
En 2004, le secrétaire général des Nations unies, Kofi Annan, a publié un rapport intitulé « La justice transitionnelle dans les sociétés en conflit ». Ce rapport aborde trois questions principales et importantes :
Premièrement, les Nations unies se concentrent sur la justice transitionnelle et l'État de droit dans les sociétés en conflit et au-delà.
Deuxièmement, accorder une attention appropriée aux « évaluations, à la participation, aux besoins et aux aspirations au niveau local » et fournir un soutien international sur cette base.
Troisièmement, les Nations unies doivent soutenir les services de réforme locaux et aider à mettre en place des institutions nationales dans le secteur de la justice. Elles doivent également contribuer à combler le vide dans le domaine de l'État de droit.
Nous avons donc contacté cinquante juges, avocats et militants des droits humains de différentes régions syriennes afin de les former de manière intensive aux bases de la justice transitionnelle en fonction des expériences des personnes et des caractéristiques spécifiques de chaque pays, conformément à la définition internationale du terme « mécanismes que la société doit entreprendre pour traiter l'héritage des transgressions passées à grande échelle, pour garantir la responsabilité, établir la justice et parvenir à la réconciliation ». Les obligations de la Syrie en vertu du Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques, ratifié en 1968.
Plusieurs des compétences internationales les plus essentielles qui ont travaillé avec nous pour former en Tunisie, au Soudan et au Maroc ont été contactées pour faire partie des formateurs et mettre en place la Haute Commission indépendante pour la justice transitionnelle.
Cet organe documentera, surveillera et poursuivra tous les crimes graves qui ont été commis et sont commis contre le peuple syrien dans diverses régions. Aucune personne dont les mains sont tachées de sang syrien ne restera impunie.
Nous voulons faire comprendre à tous les groupes armés que personne n'est au-dessus de la loi et ne peut échapper à ses responsabilités. Cela s'applique également à ceux qui ont fui le pays ; le monde est interconnecté, et ceux qui commettent des crimes graves contre le peuple syrien ou qui le volent finiront par être traduits en justice, où qu'ils se trouvent.
L'instauration de la justice est essentielle à la création d'une Syrie libre, indépendante et digne pour l'ensemble de son peuple.
Cette déclaration est soutenue par des organisations syriennes de défense des droits humains et civils, ainsi que par des experts juridiques syriens et étrangers.
Veuillez envoyer les noms de personnes qui s'engagent à respecter cet engagement à tribunalswatch@gmail.com afin que nous puissions assurer le suivi avec elles.
Nous annoncerons les principaux initiateurs et initiatives le 10 décembre 2024, à l'occasion de la Journée internationale des droits de l'homme. 

 
Übergangsjustiz und Aufbau einer unabhängigen Justiz in Syrien
Gruppe für Gerechtigkeit in Syrien, 10. Dezember 2024, Internationaler Tag der Menschenrechte
Mit dem Staatsstreich vom 8. März 1963 und der Ausrufung des Ausnahmezustands begann die Phase der Ermordung der Unabhängigkeit der Justiz. Die Syrische Liga für Menschenrechte und die Anwaltsverbände stellten sich ungerechten Entscheidungen gegen Richter und Berufsverbände entgegen. Mit der Ausschaltung der unabhängigen Justiz monopolisierte die Sicherheitsjunta die Exekutive, Legislative und Judikative: eine Justiz auf Geheiß des Tyrannen, eine Volksversammlung ohne ein gewähltes Volk und Minister, die die Angelegenheiten des entführten Staates verwalten.
Sechzig Jahre Tyrannei, ziviler Widerstand ... Wir alle litten unter Gefangenschaft, Exil und Misshandlung, aber der Traum vom Aufbau eines Rechtsstaats blieb unsere Hoffnung auf Erlösung und darauf, unser Volk von diesem Albtraum zu befreien, der über Generationen hinweg andauerte und Verbrechen beging.
Was das kriminelle Regime und andere getan haben, wird die Klarheit unserer Vision nicht trüben, und wir lehnen die Logik von Rache und Töten ebenso ab wie die Logik des „legitimen“ Tötens und des illegalen Tötens. Unsere Referenz in der Rechtspflege basiert auf humanitären Grundsätzen, die von muslimischen und nicht-muslimischen Ländern ratifiziert wurden, sowie auf der Internationalen Menschenrechtscharta.
Im Jahr 2004 veröffentlichte der Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen, Kofi Annan, einen Bericht mit dem Titel „Transitional Justice in Conflict Societies“. Darin wurden drei wichtige Hauptthemen behandelt:
Erstens konzentrieren sich die Vereinten Nationen auf Übergangsjustiz und Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Konfliktgesellschaften und darüber hinaus.
Zweitens: „Lokale Bewertungen, Beteiligung, Bedürfnisse und Bestrebungen“ angemessen berücksichtigen und darauf basierend internationale Unterstützung leisten.
Drittens müssen die Vereinten Nationen lokale Reformdienste unterstützen und beim Aufbau nationaler Institutionen des Justizsektors helfen. Sie müssen auch dazu beitragen, das Vakuum im Bereich der Rechtsstaatlichkeit zu füllen.
Diese drei Punkte sind in Syrien heute dringend erforderlich. Deshalb haben wir fünfzig Richter, Anwälte und Menschenrechtsaktivisten aus verschiedenen syrischen Regionen kontaktiert, um sie intensiv in den Grundlagen der Übergangsjustiz zu schulen, und zwar gemäß den Erfahrungen der Menschen und den spezifischen Merkmalen jedes Landes gemäß der internationalen Definition des Begriffs „Mechanismen, die die Gesellschaft ergreifen muss, um mit dem Erbe vergangener schwerwiegender Verstöße umzugehen, Rechenschaftspflicht zu gewährleisten, Gerechtigkeit herzustellen und Versöhnung zu erreichen“. Syriens Verpflichtungen gemäß dem Internationalen Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte, der 1968 ratifiziert wurde.
Mehrere der wichtigsten internationalen Kompetenzträger, die mit uns bei der Schulung in Tunesien, Sudan und Marokko zusammengearbeitet haben, wurden kontaktiert, um zu den Ausbildern zu gehören und die Unabhängige Hohe Kommission für Übergangsjustiz aufzubauen.
Diese Einrichtung wird alle schweren Verbrechen, die gegen das syrische Volk in verschiedenen Regionen begangen wurden und werden, dokumentieren, überwachen und strafrechtlich verfolgen. Niemand, dessen Hände mit syrischem Blut befleckt sind, wird ungestraft davonkommen.
Wir möchten allen bewaffneten Gruppen klarmachen, dass niemand über dem Gesetz steht oder sich der Rechenschaftspflicht entziehen kann. Dies gilt auch für diejenigen, die aus dem Land geflohen sind. Die Welt ist vernetzt, und diejenigen, die schwere Verbrechen gegen das syrische Volk begehen oder es bestehlen, werden letztendlich vor Gericht gestellt, egal wo sie sich befinden.
Die Schaffung von Gerechtigkeit ist unerlässlich, um ein freies, unabhängiges und würdevolles Syrien für alle seine Menschen zu schaffen.
Diese Erklärung wird von syrischen Bürger- und Menschenrechtsorganisationen sowie Rechtsexperten aus dem In- und Ausland unterstützt.
Bitte senden Sie die Namen derjenigen, die sich zur Einhaltung dieser Verpflichtung verpflichten, an tribunalswatch@gmail.com, damit wir sie im Auge behalten können.
Wir werden die wichtigsten Initiatoren und Initiativen am 10. Dezember 2024, dem Internationalen Tag der Menschenrechte, bekannt geben.

Giustizia di transizione e costruzione di un potere giudiziario indipendente in Siria
Gruppo per la Giustizia in Siria, 10 dicembre 2024, Giornata internazionale dei diritti umani
Con il colpo di Stato dell'8 marzo 1963 e la dichiarazione dello stato di emergenza, è iniziata la fase di assassinio dell'indipendenza della magistratura. La Lega siriana per i diritti umani e i sindacati degli avvocati si sono opposti alle decisioni ingiuste contro i giudici e i sindacati professionali. Con l'assassinio della magistratura indipendente, la giunta di sicurezza ha monopolizzato i poteri esecutivo, legislativo e giudiziario: una magistratura agli ordini del tiranno, un'assemblea popolare senza un popolo eletto e ministri che gestiscono gli affari dello Stato sequestrato.
Sessant'anni di tirannia, di resistenza civile... Tutti noi abbiamo sofferto per la prigionia, l'esilio e gli abusi, ma il sogno di costruire uno Stato di diritto è rimasto la nostra speranza di salvezza e di liberare il nostro popolo da questo incubo che ha vissuto, è durato e ha commesso crimini contro le generazioni.
Ciò che il regime criminale e altri hanno fatto non distorcerà la chiarezza della nostra visione, e rifiutiamo la logica della vendetta e dell'uccisione, così come la logica dell'uccisione “legittima” e dell'uccisione illegale. Il nostro riferimento nell'amministrazione della giustizia si basa sui principi umanitari ratificati dai Paesi musulmani e non e sulla Carta internazionale dei diritti umani.
Nel 2004, il Segretario generale delle Nazioni Unite Kofi Annan ha pubblicato un rapporto intitolato “Transitional Justice in Conflict Societies”. Il rapporto affrontava tre questioni principali e importanti:
Primo, le Nazioni Unite si concentrano sulla giustizia di transizione e sullo Stato di diritto nelle società in conflitto e oltre.
Secondo, prestare adeguata attenzione alle “valutazioni, alla partecipazione, ai bisogni e alle aspirazioni locali” e fornire un sostegno internazionale basato su questo.
In terzo luogo, le Nazioni Unite devono sostenere i servizi locali di riforma e aiutare a costruire le istituzioni nazionali del settore giudiziario. Inoltre, devono contribuire a colmare il vuoto nel campo dello Stato di diritto.
Queste tre questioni sono urgentemente necessarie in Siria oggi, quindi abbiamo contattato cinquanta giudici, avvocati e attivisti per i diritti umani provenienti da varie regioni siriane per formarli in modo intensivo sulle basi della giustizia di transizione in base alle esperienze delle persone e alle caratteristiche specifiche di ogni Paese, secondo la definizione internazionale del termine “meccanismi che la società deve intraprendere per affrontare l'eredità di trasgressioni del passato su larga scala, per garantire la responsabilità, stabilire la giustizia e raggiungere la riconciliazione”. Gli obblighi della Siria ai sensi del Patto internazionale sui diritti civili e politici, ratificato nel 1968.
Alcune delle competenze internazionali più essenziali che hanno lavorato con noi nella formazione in Tunisia, Sudan e Marocco sono state contattate per essere tra i formatori e costruire l'Alta Commissione Indipendente per la Giustizia di Transizione.
Questo organismo documenterà, monitorerà e perseguirà tutti i gravi crimini commessi e che vengono commessi contro il popolo siriano in varie regioni. Nessuno che abbia le mani macchiate di sangue siriano resterà impunito.
Vogliamo chiarire a tutti i gruppi armati che nessuno è al di sopra della legge o può sfuggire alle responsabilità. Questo vale anche per coloro che sono fuggiti dal Paese; il mondo è interconnesso e coloro che commettono gravi crimini contro il popolo siriano o lo derubano alla fine dovranno affrontare la giustizia, indipendentemente da dove si trovino.
Stabilire la giustizia è essenziale per creare una Siria libera, indipendente e dignitosa per tutto il suo popolo.
Questa dichiarazione è sostenuta da organizzazioni siriane per i diritti civili e umani e da esperti legali del Paese e dell'estero.
Vi preghiamo di inviare i nomi di coloro che si impegnano a mantenere questo impegno a tribunalswatch@gmail.com, in modo che possiamo tenerne traccia.
Annunceremo i principali promotori e le iniziative il 10 dicembre 2024, in occasione della Giornata internazionale dei diritti umani.

SERGIO FERRARIQatar in offside position; the World Cup creates controversy

 Sergio Ferrari, 1/10/2022
Translated by Tlaxcala

Goals don’t always speak louder than words
Footballers defend their union rights

The opening whistle of a new World Cup is approaching. With our sights set on Qatar, the pressure on "planet soccer", both on and off the field, is mounting steadily. The passion of the multitudes is now dignified by a worldwide trade union agreement. Meanwhile, the international civil society demands remembrance and reparation for the disrespect of human rights in the pre-World Cup period.

Unhealthy work: human and labour rights violated in Qatar. Photo Amnesty International

In the last week of September, the World Leagues Forum (WLF), which represents 44 national professional football institutions made up of some 1,100 clubs, and the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO), which brings together 66 unions with 60,000 players, signed in Geneva, Switzerland, the first Global Labor Agreement (GLA). It recognizes the importance of social dialogue to improve the rights of professional soccer players.

As reported on the FIFPRO website, this “revolutionary” agreement will allow leagues and unions in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and Oceania to address critical international issues that directly affect labor relations between clubs and their players.

FIFPRO and WLF will also collaborate to develop and promote collective bargaining taking greater responsibility in the process of professionalizing the sport at the national level.

As next steps, both counterparts will appoint their representatives to integrate the Executive Council that will manage the implementation of the agreement. The Council will meet before the end of 2022 to discuss, among other matters, employment priorities, the schedule of matches and competitions and the workload of the players.

Future negotiations will include issues such as labor standards, injury management, and measures to combat discrimination and racism on and off the pitch, as well as their expressions on social media.

Soccer shirts bearing the names of some of the thousands of migrant workers killed on World Cup construction sites in Qatar.

Guy Ryder, director of the International Labor Organization (ILO), celebrated this new international agreement, which represents “a step forward in the labor relations of soccer players”. And he stressed that football can inspire and unite people of all nationalities and walks of life, regardless of gender and ethnicity.

The Global Labor Agreement conforms to the fundamental principles and rights at work established by the ILO in the 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights. It takes up the Points of Consensus of the Global Dialogue Forum on Decent Work in the World of Sport (2020) and includes a specific reference to the Convention on freedom of association and the protection of the right to organize of 1948 and collective bargaining of 1949.

The agreement will offer a platform to discuss the health and safety protection standards for athletes, as well as the necessary commitment to improve the representation and participation of the national leagues, the clubs that compose them and the unions of the sector. In addition, it is committed to promoting greater representation and recognition of women’s football.

 

Group photo of the signatories of the Global Labor Agreement that will govern social relations in the soccer world

Human rights in question

While the Global Labor Agreement opens a window of hope for sports players, international civil society intensifies criticism of Qatar.

In September, well-known NGO spokespersons continued to demand compensation from the International Federation of Association Football  (FIFA) for migrant workers whose human rights were violated during preparations for the 2022 World Cup.

Already in May 2021, the British newspaper The Guardian put the number of workers who had died during the construction of the stadiums at 6,500, the vast majority of them immigrants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This information was mainly based on data provided by these countries.

In its 2021/2022 Report, Amnesty International includes a chapter on Qatar, with references to temperatures of up to 50ºC, endless working hours, few job security measures, practically non-existent rest days and threats of deportation from the country to those who do not accept the unconscionable prevailing working conditions. In addition, the real impossibility for workers to change companies, the non-fulfilment of agreed benefits, and the unhealthy housing conditions.

“That is the breeding ground that explains something that may seem incredible: thousands of migrant workers have lost their lives in the different buildings in Qatar since FIFA designated it as the venue for the 2022 World Cup in 2010.” [Los muertos del Mundial de Qatar 2022, by Alberto Senante, 18/5/2022]

Qatar and FIFA must compensate the victims

The new offensive by international NGOs against FIFA is based on a survey on compensation for labor victims that Amnesty International carried out in various countries through the international pollster YouGov, based in Great Britain. 17,477 persons were interviewed in Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United States, Finland, France, Kenya, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and three out of four supported such reparations.

REFUGEES IN LIBYAOur Political Manifesto

We are Refugees and we live in Libya.

We come from South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Chad, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan. We are fleeing from civil wars, persecutions, climate changes and poverty back in our countries of origin. We were all pushed by circumstances beyond human endurance.

We wanted to reach Europe seeking a second chance for our lives and therefore arrived in Libya. Here we became the hidden workforce of the Libyan economy: we lay bricks and build Libyan houses, we repair and wash Libyan cars, we cultivate and plant fruit and vegetables for Libyan farmers and Libyan dining tables, we mount satellites on high roofs for the Libyan screens etc.  

Apparently this is not enough for Libyan authorities. Our workforce is not enough. They want the full control of our bodies and dignity. What we found on our arrival was a nightmare made of tortures, rapes, extortions, arbitrary detentions… we suffered every possible and unimaginable human right violation.

Not only once.

We have been forcibly intercepted at sea by the so-called Libyan coast guard - funded by the Italian and European authorities - and then brought back to prisons and inhumane concentration camps. Some of us had to repeat this cycle of humiliation two, three, five, up to ten times.

We tried to raise our voice and spread our stories. We taught these to institutions, politicians, journalists but apart from very few interested ones, our stories remained unheard. We were deliberately silenced.

But not anymore.

Since the 1st of October 2021, the day that Libyan police and military forces came to our homes in Gargaresh neighborhood and took ruthless, grave and merciless crackdowns and mass raids against us. Thousands were arbitrarily arrested and detained in inhumane concentration camps.

The day after, we came as individuals and gathered at the UNHCR headquarters. Here we understood we had no other choice than start organizing ourselves. 
We raised our voices and the voices of the voiceless refugees who have been constantly silenced. We cannot keep on going silent while no one is advocating for us and our rights.

Here we are now to claim our rights and seek protection to countries of safety.

Therefore we demand now with our voices:
 

1. Evacuations to lands of safety where our rights will be protected and respected.

2. Justice and equality among refugees and asylum seekers who are registered with the UNHCR in Libya.

3. The abolishment of funding the Libyan coast guards who have constantly and forcibly intercepted refugees fleeing the Libyan hell and brought them to Libya where all atrocities befalls them.

4. The closure of all detention centers across Libya, which are fully funded by the Italian and European union authorities.

5. The authorities should bring the perpetrators to justice who have shot and killed our brothers and sisters both in and out of the detention centers.

6. The Libyan authorities to stop arbitrarily detaining persons of concern to the office of UNHCR.

7. To call on Libya to sign and ratify the constitution of the 1951 Genève Refugee convention.
    
   

👉If you and/or your organization agree, please sign our Manifesto here