SIRACUSA PRINCIPLES on the Limitation and Derogation ...

1 SIRACUSA . PRINCIPLES . on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights American Association for the International Commission of Jurists M EM BERS OF TH E AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR. IN T E R N A T IO N A L C O M M ISSIO N OF JU R IST S THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION. President KEBA M BAYE, SE N E G A L. OF JURISTS, INC. Vice-Presidents 777 U N IT E D N A TIO N S PLAZA. RO BER TO C O N C E P C IO N , P H IL IP P IN E S N E W YORK, N EW Y O RK 10017. H E L E N O CLA U D JO FR A G O SO , BR A ZIL. JO H N P. H U M PH R E Y , CA NA DA.

2 M em bers o f E xecutive Com m ittee W IL L IA M J. BU TLER , (Chairm an). A N D R E S A G U IL A R M A W D SLEY , V E N E Z U E L A. P. T E L FO R D G E O R G E S, T H E BAHAM AS Members o f the Board o f Directors L O U IS JO X E , FR A N C E. K A PTEY N , N E T H E R L A N D S. R U D O LF M A C H A C EK , A U STR IA E L I W H IT N E Y DEBEVOISE. J. TH IA M H IE N YAP, IN D O N E S IA Chairman Emeritus Com mission M em bers BA DRIA A L -A W A D H I, K U W AIT Chairman o f the Board A L PH O N SE B O N I, IVO RY CO A ST. R A U L F. C A R D E N A S, M EX ICO. G E O R G E N.

3 L IN D SA Y. H A IM H. C O H N , ISR A EL. A U G U STO C O N T E -M A C D O N E L L , A R G E N T IN A President T A SLIM O L A W A L E ELIA S, N IG E R IA W IL L IA M J. BUTLER. A L FR E D O E T C H EB ER R Y , C H IL E. G U IL L E R M O FIG A LLO , PER U Secretary LO RD G A R D IN E R , U N IT E D K IN G D O M. M IC H A E L D. K IRBY, A U ST R A L IA. H A RV EY J. G O LD SCH M ID. K IN U K O KUBOTA, JA PA N. R A JSO O M E R LA LLA H , M A U R ITIU S. Treasurer TA1-Y OU NG LEE, REP. O F K O REA P. N IC H O L A S KO URIDES. S EA N M A C B R ID E , IR E L A N D..W .S.

4 M AW A LLA, T A N Z A N IA. F R A N C O IS-X A V IE R M BO UYO M , CA M ER O O N. R O BERT P. BASS, JR. FA Ll S. N A R IM A N , IN D IA D O N A LD T. FOX. N G O BA T H A N H , V IETN A M P E T E R S. H E L LE R. T O R K E L O PSA H L, N O R W A Y R IC H A R D H. M OORE. G U STA F PE T R E N , SW ED EN. S IR GU Y PO W LES, N E W Z EA LA N D A N D R E W. G. NEW BURG. S H R ID A T H S. RA M PH A L, G U Y A N A M A TTHEW N IM E T Z. DON JO A Q U IN R U IZ -G 1M E N E Z , SPA IN ST E PH E N A. OX M AN. T U N M O H A M ED SU FFIA N , M A LA Y SIA. W IL L IA M J. SC H R EN K , JR.

5 S IR M OTI TIK A R A M , FIJI. CHITT1 T IN G SA B A D H , TH A IL A N D JE R O M E J. SH ESTA CK. C H R IST IA N TO M U SC H A T , FED. REP. O F G E R M A N Y PE T E R O. A. SOLBERT. M IC H A E L A. T R /A N T A F V L L /D E S , C Y P R U S E D W A RD H A L L A M TU C K. A M O S W AKO, K ENY A. Honorary M em bers S IR A D ETO K U N B O A. A D EM OLA, N IG E R IA Directors Emeriti: A R TU R O A. A L A FR IZ , P H IL IP P IN E S DU D LEY B. BONSAL. D U D L EY B. BO N SA L, W H IT N E Y N O R T H SEY M O U R (1901-1983). ELI W H IT N E Y DEBEV O ISE, PER FE D E R S P IE L , D E N M A R K B E N JA M IN R.

6 SH UTE. F E R N A N D O , SR I LA NK A BETH U EL M. W EBSTER. G A N S H O F VAN DER M EER SC H , BELG IU M. H A N S H E IN R IC H JE S C H E C K , FED. REP. O F G E R M A N Y. JE A N FLA V IEN LA LIV E, SW IT Z E R L A N D. N O R M A N S. M A R SH , U N IT E D K IN G D O M. JO S E T. N A BU CO , BR A ZIL. LU IS N E G R O N FE R N A N D E Z , PU ER TO RICO. LO RD SH A W C R O SS, U N IT E D K IN G D O M The American Association for tbe International Com . ED W A RD ST. JO H N , A U STR A LIA. mission of Jurists, Inc. is a non-profit public corporation Secretary-General; N 1A L L M A C D ER M O T.

7 Organized on a membership basis. All contributions are tax deductible. In addition to the Association's Newslet . 109 Route de Chene ter, members are entitled to receive The Review and the 1224 Chene-Bougeries IC J Newsletter, published, respectively, semi-annually and quarterly, by the International Commission of Geneva, Switzerland Jurists. April 1985. Introductory Note It has long been observed by the American Association for the International Commission of Jurists (A A IC J). that one of the main instruments employed by govern . ments to repress and deny the fundamental rights and freedoms of peoples has been the illegal and unwarranted Declaration of M artial Law or a State of Emergency.

8 Very often these measures are taken under the pretext of Table o f Contents the existence of a public emergency which threatens the life of the nation or threats to its national security.. Introductory N o t e .. 3 The abuse of applicable provisions allowing govern . m ents to lim it and derogate from certain rights contained The SIRACUSA PRINCIPLES on the Limitation and Deroga in the International Covenant on Civil and Political tion Provisions in the International Covenant on Rights has resulted in the need for a closer examination Civil and Political R ig h ts .. 5.

9 Of the conditions and grounds for permissable limitations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 18 and derogations in order to achieve an effective imple . mentation of the rule of law. The United Nations Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on General Assembly has frequently emphasized the impor . Civil and Political R ig h ts .. 3 9 tance of a uniform interpretation of limitations on rights enunciated in the Covenant. Individual Limitation Provisions Cross-Referenced to the C o v e n a n aa W ith this in mind, the A A IC J initiated a colloquium composed of 31 distinguished experts in international law, held at SIRACUSA , Italy, in the Spring of 1984.

10 This meeting, the first of its kind, was co-sponsored by the International Commission of Jurists, the U rban Morgan Institute for Hum an Rights, and the International Insti . tute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences. The participants examined the Limitation and deroga . tion provisions in the Covenant, seeking to identify: (a) their legitimate objectives;. (b ) the general PRINCIPLES of interpretation which gov . ern their imposition and application; and (c ) some of the main features of the grounds for Limitation or Derogation . It was recognized that other criteria determine the scope of rights in the Covenant, , the concept of arbitrariness, but time was not available to examine them.