John Lewis, an eternal cry of civil rights

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John Lewis, an eternal cry of civil rights

John Lewis. Photography by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call.

By Marco Pizzorno.

Another flame of civil rights has faded on earth to shine in eternity. An Activist for the dignity of African Americans, Lewis was an example of sacrifice and resilience in the pursuit of “Social Justice”.

In 1963 he was one of the Big Six who participated in the March on Washington for Work and Freedom.  Then in 1965 he led 600 protesters in a march which later took the name of “Bloody Sunday” across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. On that occasion, Lewis was a victim of police brutality and suffered fractures to his skull.

In 1977 he went into politics with the Democratic Party, and was later appointed to the Carter administration before being elected to the Atlanta city council. After 1986 he ran for the Senate where he was continuously re-elected. Leader of the movement for non-violence, he became the protagonist of courageous initiatives, such as riding on segregated buses dedicated to non-black people, with the aim of fighting racial policies.

The Human Family loses a pillar in the struggle for civil rights and its commitment together with Martin Luther King, have given humanity a new perception and a renewed awareness of life. Humanity is the daughter of the same sky and breathes the same air and it is the right of every man to be able to live in peace and freedom.

Freedom is also being able to pursue happiness and guarantee one’s rights and dignity, without being persecuted or judged by color, birth, residence, religion or thought.

The difficulties and sufferings for the defense of dignity over the years are numerous . In truth it is appropriate to remember that the Human Family passes through 4 generations of human rights.

  • The first generation is called Blue Rights. It included the right to life, equality before the law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, property rights, the right to a fair trial, and voting rights.
  • Second-generation is related to equality and recognized after World War II.
  • Third-generation is focused on civil and social issues and known as “Solidarity human rights”.
  • A fourth generation of human rights is developing new rights, especially in relation to technological, information and cyberspace.  

The latter will commit the whole real and virtual world to obtaining fundamental guarantees that are important for the protection of life and human dignity, in that environmental metamorphosis that goes hand in hand with technological progress. The memory of important giants like Lewis must be the support in the difficulties of the new challenges.

The tribute to this great man can only be represented with Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so that his life is an example for all of us to know how to live together one day “United also in Diversity” .

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Marián Jakubócy received in Saxony-Anhalt

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Marián Jakubócy received in Saxony-Anhalt

Premier Dr. Reiner Haseloff & Ambassador Marián Jakubócy – Picture by Staatskanzlei Sachsen-Anhalt, Ines Berger.

Thursday, 1 October 2020, Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: Saxony Anhalt’s head of government, Dr. Reiner Haseloff welcomed the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, H.E. Ms. Marián Jakubócy, for his inaugural visit to the State Chancellery.

Both interlocutors exchanged views on current issues and expressed the expectation that the bilateral relations between the two countries could be intensified.

In 2019, companies from Saxony-Anhalt exported goods worth almost 201 million euros to Slovakia, the highest figure to date. A new record was also set last year for imports, with around 153 million euros.

Both universities in Saxony-Anhalt, all four universities of applied sciences and the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle maintain close relations with higher education institutions in the Slovak Republic.
There are currently two school partnerships: the Ludwigsgymnasium Köthen with the Piaristen-Gymnasium “Jozef Kalazanský” in Nitra and the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Sangerhausen with the Ján-Hollý-Gymnasium in Trnava.

Six town twinnings have been established since 1989, namely:
Allestedt – Vrobvè Aschersleben – Trenčíanske Teplice Halberstadt – Banská Bystrica Mücheln OT Langeneichstädt – Rudno nad Hronom Sangerhausen – Trnava White rock – Komarno. Ambassador Jakubócy was also received by the President of the State Diet (Landtag), Gabriele Brakebusch, during his stay in Saxony-Anhalt.

For further information: 
Government of Saxony-Anhalt: https://europa.sachsen-anhalt.de/internationales/aktuelles-international-2020/antrittsbesuch-des-botschafters-der-slowakei/

Slovak Embassy to Germany: https://www.mzv.sk/web/berlin

ICC President Chile Eboe-Osuji thanks the Group of Independent Experts

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ICC President Chile Eboe-Osuji thanks the Group of Independent Experts

On 6 December 2019, the Assembly appointed nine Experts to carry out an Independent Expert Review of the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute System. The Experts were mandated to make recommendations to the Assembly of States Parties and the Court on specific complex technical issues under the clusters Governance, Judiciary, and Investigations and Prosecutions. The Assembly underlined that, for this process to be successful, it must involve all States Parties, the Court and other relevant stakeholders.

On behalf of the Court, I would thank the experts for their hard work on this review process, particularly in the trying conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the Court received the Experts’ report resulting from that review process. Across the Court, we have fully engaged with this process from the outset with high expectations. We look forward to carefully reviewing and assessing the report.

As the States Parties, the stakeholders and the Court digest and process the observations and recommendations in the report, we are anxious to stress the urgency of addressing the recent political attacks against the Court,  including the coercive economic measures against the Court’s Prosecutor and one of her chief aides. Those remain matters of the most immediate priority.

Greece contributes to the OPCW

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Greece contributes to the OPCW

Greece Contributes €30,000 to Future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology

The Permanent Representative of Greece to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Nicolas P. Plexidas, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands–30 September 2020–The Government of Greece has contributed €30,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store. This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”).

The contribution was formalised on 28 September during a ceremony between the Permanent Representative of Greece to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Nicolas P. Plexidas, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, which was held at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.

Ambassador Plexidas remarked: “Greece, a member of the OPCW since its establishment in 1997, has always been a staunch supporter of all efforts aiming to consolidate peace and stability in the world. In these challenging times, the threats posed by the use of chemical weapons are still present. Thus, the role of OPCW in dealing with the challenge of chemical weapons remains vital. We believe that international cooperation and effective multilateralism is the only way to ensure that chemicals will be used only for safe and peaceful purposes to the benefit of the people and with respect to the environment.

Therefore, Greece decided to contribute €30,000 for the construction of a new Centre for Chemistry and Technology in OPCW, as a tangible proof of its sincere commitment to enhance all efforts for the mitigation of the use of chemical weapons. We are convinced that this Centre will contribute significantly to increase our capacities for making our world a safer place.”

Greece decided to contribute €30,000 for the construction of a new Centre for Chemistry and Technology in OPCW.

 The Director-General expressed his sincere appreciation for the Government of Greece’s support. He added: “The contribution demonstrates your country’s support for research and development of chemistry for peaceful purposes, which will further build the capabilities of our Member States to achieve a world free of chemical weapons. The continued commitment of OPCW Member States to this important project during these unprecedented times is especially meaningful.”

Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW Member States in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasised the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW’s ability to address chemical weapon threats and enhance capacity building activities. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated”.

So far, 43 Member States, Israel – a signatory state – and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the ChemTech Centre project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date.

Ambassador Ghanem said goodbye

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Ambassador Ghanem said goodbye

The Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen, Ms. Sahar Ghanem will conclude her duties as Coordinator of Women Ambassador’s Group in the Netherlands after a successful mandate were, she promoted partnership, dialogue and solid networking among the more than 30 women ambassadors credited to the Netherlands including those with embassies located in Brussels.

The Ambassador of Albania, Her Excellency Ms. Adia Sakiqi will take now the lead of the group.

At the end of her term as the Coordinator of Women Ambassador’s Group in the Netherlands, H.E. Ambassador Sahar Ghanem closes the year with a goodbye speech addressing her fellow women ambassadors in the Group, and congratulating her successor the Ambassador of Albania.

Women Ambassador’s Group in the Netherlands. Photography by Kim Vermaat.

Ambassador Ghanem commented: “my primary goal was to expand our network as women ambassador to include influential people from various walks of life. I wanted us to empower and be empowered, to inspire and be inspired.”

Women Ambassador’s Group in the Netherlands. Photography by Catherine Dailey.

“At this point I realize how fortunate and privileged I was to get that opportunity to lead such an esteemed group of more than 30 intellectual and professional women. It was such an inspiring and enriching experience through which I have learned invaluable lessons at ambassadorial and personal levels but most important, I gained sisters for life.” She said.

Previous coordinators of the Women Ambassador’s Group in the Netherlands where the Ambassador of Guatemala, H.E. Ms. Maritza Ruiz de Vieltman and the Ambassador of Tanzania, H.E. Ms. Irene Florence Mkwawa Kasyanju.

Women Ambassadors Group training @ Clingendael. Photography by Jay Pangilinan.

ICC Prosecutor briefs annual ministerial meeting at the UN

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ICC Prosecutor briefs annual ministerial meeting at the UN


ICC Prosecutor briefs annual ministerial meeting, at the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, expresses gratitude for strong show of support

On 23 September, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, addressed the annual ministerial meeting of the Informal Ministerial Network for the ICC (“IMN”) in the margins of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (“UNGA”).

The event hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Culture of the Principality of Liechtenstein, H.E. Dr. Katrin Eggenberger, and Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the United Nations in New York, was organised in virtual format this year in light of the global pandemic. The IMN is a network of over 30 Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and other high officials, representing regional groupings of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC. The annual meeting of the IMN provides an important platform for high level engagement for the Prosecutor and the Court during the United Nations High-Level week. 

In thanking IMN members, as well as the representative of the European Union present, for their continued, clear and unyielding support for her Office and the ICC, the Prosecutor recalled that “the integrity of the Rome Statute system of independent, international criminal justice cannot be allowed to be undermined under duress”, emphasizing that “accountability for atrocity crimes, and the ICC as a crucial embodiment of that necessary objective, is an essential pillar of a rules-based multilateral order.” She underscored: “along with my Office, we have without fail payed homage to the Rome Statute with utmost integrity and professionalism, led by a sense of unflinching responsibility towards our independent and impartial mandate, solely by the dictates of the Statute. That commitment will continue.”

For their part, the members of the IMN renewed their commitment to support the Prosecutor and her Office, and the Court more generally in the fight against impunity. In welcoming the Prosecutor’s intervention, the Chair and convener of the IMN, H.E. Minister Eggenberger, stated: “[w]hile we continue making public statements of support for the Court, including in our UN General Debate statements this week, we must also continue to provide practical support to the ICC in its effort to ensure business continuity and to address the challenges it now faces.”

NRW and Silesia strengthened ties

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NRW and Silesia strengthened ties

In the picture far left, Marshall Jakub Chełstowski and far right Dr. Holthoff-Pförtner – Picture by Tomasz Żak, UMWS.

Tuesday, 29 September 2020, Katowice, Silesia, Republic of Poland: North Rhine-Westphalia’s Dr. Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs, travelled to Poland to mark the 20th anniversary of the partnership between North Rhine-Westphalia and Silesia and to partake in a dialogue on the rule of law and European values. 

During meetings with Jakub Chełstowski, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, and representatives from politics, culture, science, business and civil society in Katowice, the Minister thanked all those involved who contribute to the success of the partnership: “Our lively and active relationship thrives on the commitment of a wide range of actors. Political dialogue alone does not make a partnership. Municipalities, associations, schools, experts, artists and many others fill our cooperation with life”. 

With a view to the 30th anniversary of German Unity on 3 October 2020, the Minister underlined Poland’s great contribution to the fall of the Iron Curtain: “Poland’s struggle for freedom, from the founding of the trade union ‘Solidarność’ in 1980 to the Round Table in 1989, made German reunification and the enlargement of the European Union possible in the first place. We have every reason to be grateful to Poland.

The friendship between Silesia and North Rhine-Westphalia ties in with this common historical heritage, among other things. This heritage gives rise to a shared responsibility for the future of Europe”. To deepen cooperation with Silesia and dialogue, the Minister metin Katowice the Mayor Marcin Krupa, the Evangelical Bishop of Katowice diocese Marian Niemiec and the former judge and rule of law activist Jarosław Gwizdak.

The minister: “A sign of our close and diverse partnership is to openly address issues such as the rule of law and tolerance, with government representatives, opposition representatives and civil society actors. For Germany, Europe is a community of values, which is why we are committed to a common understanding of the rule of law”. In Krakow, Minister Holthoff-Pförtner continued this exchange with the former Polish Minister of Justice Prof. Zbigniew Ćwiąkalski and with the Deputy Marshal of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship Tomasz Urynowicz. NRW and Silesia 
North Rhine-Westphalia has for many years worked closely with the Silesia region and the French region of Hauts-de-France within the regional Weimar Triangle. 

Silesia, with its capital Katowice, is one of the 16 voivodships of the Republic of Poland and has about the same population as the Ruhr area. The region lies in the south of Poland and borders on the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Among Poland’s regions, Silesia has the highest population density and the highest degree of urbanisation. At the same time, it is the most industrialised part of Poland (Silesia accounts for 17 percent of Poland’s industrial production) in the sectors of coal mining, iron and heavy metal works, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and the automotive industry.

For further information:
Government of North Rhine-Westphalia: https://mbei.nrw/de/pressemitteilung/europaminister-holthoff-pfoertner-reist-nach-polen-wuerdigung-der-partnerschaft-mit
Silesian Voivodeship: https://www.slaskie.pl/content/wspolpraca-buduje-rozwoj-

Monaco Contributes €10,000 to OPCW’s Trust Fund for Syria Missions

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Monaco Contributes €10,000 to OPCW’s Trust Fund for Syria Missions

THE HAGUE, Netherlands–25 September 2020–The Principality of Monaco is contributing €10,000 toward supporting the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which includes the work of the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) and the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).

The Fund supports the Organisation’s special missions and contingency operations related specifically to the Syrian Arab Republic. Monaco’s contribution aims to assist in full elimination of the Syrian Chemical Weapons Programme and clarification of facts related to the alleged use of chemical weapons, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the policy-making organs of the OPCW. The funds will support the DAT and the FFM.

H.E. Ambassador Isabelle Berro-Amadei, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.

The voluntary contribution was formalised yesterday with an agreement signed by the Permanent Representative of the Principality of Monaco to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Isabelle Berro-Amadeï and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, at the Organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.

Ambassador Berro-Amadeï remarked: “The Principality of Monaco will continue, as it has always done, to support the efforts of the OPCW to free the world from the threat of chemical weapons. Since 2016, this support has been demonstrated by a voluntary contribution to the Special Trust Fund for Syria Missions.”

Expressing his gratitude for Monaco’s contribution, the Director-General emphasised the country’s commitment to the norms and principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and its full implementation by all State Parties. “Voluntary contributions such as Monaco’s make it possible for the Organisation to continue its crucial work in Syria,” stressed the Director-General.

Marián Jakubócy pays courtesy visit to Bavaria

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Marián Jakubócy pays courtesy visit to Bavaria

Marián Jakubócy & Dr. Florian Herrmann – Picture by bayern.de, bayerische Staatskanzlei.

Monday, 28 September 2020, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Germany: Slovak top envoy to Germany, Ambassador Marián Jakubócy was received for a maiden call in the Bavarian state by the State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann, Head of the State Chancellery and Minister of State for Federal and European Affairs and Media at the State Chancellery for their first bilateral conversation. 

Focus of the tête-à-tête was the strong presence of Bavarian enterprises throughout Slovakia, however there are still domains in scientific research and innovation that remain unexplored. 

For Ambassador Jakubócy, Bavaria is particularly special as he read courses at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the same federal state. 

Ambassador Jakubócy is fluent in the German, English, Russian as well as Bulgarian languages, and was previously the Director General of the Political Section at the Slovak Foreign Ministry (2017-2019).

Between 2013 and 2017 he was Slovakia’s Ambassador to Bulgaria. The career diplomat joined the Slovak Foreign Service in 1995. 

For further information 
Government of Bavaria: https://www.bayern.de/service/fotoreihen/?frid=in142954&fbclid=IwAR1-hP63xk84PI07cKcGrbdSNFXqaW4LIlf99lOqBpYJj_TOFtWfDOq-CdY

Accrediation of Ambassador Jakubócy to Germany: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2020/01/15/slovak-ambassador-jakubocy-accredited-to-germany/

Arrest and transfer of Hysni Gucati

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Arrest and transfer of Hysni Gucati

Following his arrest by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office on 25 September 2020, Hysni Gucati was transferred to the Detention Facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. An arrest warrant was issued for the suspect for offences against the administration of justice, namely intimidation of witnesses, retaliation and violation of secrecy of proceedings, according to the Kosovo Criminal Code, by virtue of Article 15(2) of the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, Law No. 05/L 053.

Information about the date and time of the first appearance of Hysni Gucati before the Pre-Trial Judge will be announced in due course. The first appearance will be a public hearing and can be followed by video streaming via https://www.scp-ks.org/en with a short delay.

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