Objectives
This Forum takes place within the framework of FIDH’s International Congress, a major event, bringing together human rights defenders from FIDH’s 164 member organisations and other partners from all over the world, every three years.
FIDH has chosen to hold this event in Turkey, and dedicate it to the issue of viewing political transition from a human rights perspective. Turkey is currently at a crossroads, with peace negotiations under way with representatives of the Kurdish people, after many years of bloody conflict. Turkey is also closely observed by governments in Middle East and North Africa, who have themselves only recently assumed power and are currently undergoing the process of political transition.
The Forum will foster exchange between human rights defenders and organisations from over one hundred countries. Participants will debate challenging impunity, strengthening justice, supporting institutions and NGOs, the place of religion, the role of women as drivers for transition, the rights of minorities, the promotion of economic and social rights, and the role of private businesses and international financial institutions in transition periods. Alliances will be developed and strategies for action identified on these key challenges.
Programme
Thursday 23 May 2013
Morning (09:00-12:30) Plenary Session
Opening sessionNew power balance: actors for the future and challenges ahead
Beşir Atalay, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH president
Öztürk Türkdoğan, Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD)
Sang-Hyun Song, President of the International Criminal Court
Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Price 2003.
Stavros Lambrinidis, European Union Special Representative for Human Rights
Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of International Organization of La Francophonie
Afternoon (14:30-18:30) Two Parallel panel sessions
Institutional reforms as a condition for the Rule of LawESCR and the role of economic and financial actorsWORKSHOP 1WORKSHOP 2
Panel 1
Session 1: Institutional reforms for the Rule of Law
Moderator: Mabassa Fall, FIDH Permanent Representative to the African Union
۱۴:۳۰-۱۵:۱۵ Introductory addresses
• Priorities for establishing long-lasting rule of law in countries in transition
Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas, Secretary General of FIDH
• Which leverages to encourage reforms in repressive contexts
Tolekan Ismailova is the founder of the NGO Forum which was instrumental in the adoption of the first Law “On formation of NGOs” in 1999, which contributed to the development of civil society in the country. Tolekan is one of the founders of the Coalition “For Democracy and Civil Society”, bringing together hundreds of NGOs and active citizens for democratic and transparent elections, and she was the first President of the Coalition, from 1998 to 2002. This Coalition held a large-scale program of civic education and monitored the election. As a result, independent candidates were elected to the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic for the first time in the history of the country.
In May 2000, “Citizens against corruption» was established, bringing together on its platform of demands more than 65,000 active citizens. “Citizens against corruption” was awarded a Prize by the French Republic in 2009. It has grown today in the “Human Rights Movement: Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan” http://www.anticorruption.kg
Tolekan and her family have been several times subjected to administrative arrest and harassment. In September 2012 due to the inclusion of the documentary “I’m gay and, I am a Muslim” in the annual international documentary festival on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the intelligence agencies declared Tolekan an “extremist and promoter of inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts”.
• Elections during transition: the experience of Tunisia
Kamel Jendoubi, Former President of Tunisia’s Independent Higher Authority for the Elections
۱۵:۱۵-۱۶:۰۰ Debate, with presentations from the floor
• Strategies for working under severe restrictions in Belarus (Viasna)
• How to support forces for change inside China (HRIC)
• The role of sanctions in the transition in Zimbabwe (Zimrights)
۱۶:۰۰-۱۶:۱۵ Coffee break
SESSION 2: Reform of Justice for the Rule of Law
Moderator: Amina Bouayach, FIDH Vice President (Morocco)
۱۶:۱۵-۱۷:۰۰ Introductory addresses
• From transitional justice to justice in transition
Sidiki Kaba, Honorary President of the FIDH
• Which guarantees for an independent judiciary?
Gastón Chillier, Executive Director of CELS
• How to reform the security sector
Navaz Kotwal
۱۷:۰۰-۱۸:۳۰ Debate, with presentations from the floor
• Transition in Peru, obstacles and good practices (APRODEH)
• Transitional Justice in Tunisia: overview and perspectives (FIDH office in Tunis)
Friday 24 May 2013
Morning (09:00-13:00)
Individual liberties, equal rights for all and their role in the strengthening of the rule of lawWorkshop 1Workshop 2Workshop 3
Translation: Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
Room Maramara
Moderator: Dan Van Raemdonck, FIDH VicePresident (Belgium)
Introductory addresses
• Religion, the public sphere and the rule of law
Asma Jahangir, vice-President of the FIDH (Pakistan)
• Women drivers of transitions: for which rights?
Sophie Bessis, Deputy Secretary General of the FIDH (Tunisia)
• Minority rights: universalism or communitarianism?
Nancy Yanez Fuenzalida, Co-director, Observadorio Ciudadano, Chile
Debate, with presentations from the floor
• Strategies to defend minorities in Egypt (EIPR)
• Litigation for Roma and Travellers’ rights in Belgium (LTDH)
• Discriminatory governance in Mauritania (AMDH)
۱۰:۳۰-۱۰:۴۵: Coffee Break
۱۰:۴۵-۱۳:۰۰: Participants split into three workshops to discuss experiences on building democracy
Afternoon (14:30-19:00)
The role of civil society: legal framework, partnerships for actionWorkshop 1Workshop 2
Translation: Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
Marmara Room
Moderator: Karim Lahidji, FIDH Vice President (Iran)
Introductory addresses
•What legitimacy for limits to freedom of expression in a democratic society?
Vincent Berger, former jurisconsult with the European Court of Human Rights (France)
•The experience of trade unions on alliances and partnerships
Alison Tate, Director for External Relations, ITUC
• To expose gongos or (un)civil society
Adilur Rahman Khan, lawyer at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Debate, with presentations from the floor
• Freedom of expression in the US (CCR )
• The experience of alliances concerning Uzbekistan (Fiery Hearts Club)
Coffee Break – (16:00-16:15)
۱۶:۱۵-۱۷:۴۵: Participants split into two workshops to exchange about concrete experiences on building democracy.
Coffee Break – (17:45-18:00)
Plenary: Forum closing session, to highlight the main points and lessons from the Forum
Late afternoon (18:00 – 19:00)
Traduction: Anglais, Arabe, Français, Russe, Espagnol, Turc
Salle Maramara
Driss El Yazami
Nazan Üstündağ, Associate (…)
Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH president
Professor Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincancı
FIDH members in Turkey
HRFT
The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), established in 1990, is a non governmental and non-profit organisation providing treatment and rehabilitation services for torture survivors and documenting human rights violations in Turkey. The HRFT grew out of the necessity to further promote the prevention of torture in Turkey where grave human rights violations left thousands of people tortured and traumatised. The establishment process of the HRFT was launched by the Human Rights Association together with the Turkish Medical Association and founded in accordance with the Turkish Civil Code.
HRA
The HRA was founded on 17 July 1986, by 98 people, comprising lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, but mainly relatives of political prisoners. The Human Rights Association works on all kind of human rights, but is mainly focused on abuses in Turkey. In 1992, the statute was changed to cover humanitarian aspects as laid out in the Geneva Conventions. Since then the HRA has also criticized human violations of armed groups.
HRA together with a headquarter and 31 branches and representations is the biggest non-governmental human rights organisation and is member of FIDH since 1996, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network. HRA is also founding member of Human Rights Joint Platform which was established in 2005.
Human rights in Turkey
۸ steps to build peace: FIDH calls on the Turkish government to act
IHD Annual Report 2012
Turkey: the pianist Fazil Say sentenced to jail for his opinions
They support our congress
FIDH in the Media
media contact agenda
Posta (Türkiye)
Hurriyet (Türkiye)
Anayasa (Türkiye)
Bianet (Türkiye)
For any inquiries, including event
accreditation, please contact :
Arthur Manet
Media Officer
Email : amanet@fidh.org
Tel: +33 6 72 28 42 94
Audrey Couprie
Press Officer
Email : acouprie@fidh.org
Tel: +33 6 48 05 91 57
Çiğdem Mater & Nesra Gürbüz
Media Coordinators (Turkey)
Email : fidh.turkiye@gmail.com /
mater.cigdem@gmail.com /
nesrag@gmail.com
Tel: +90 53 229 11 211 …
