On International Day, Ban honours victims of gross human rights violations
March 25, 2014: At a time when human rights violations persist around the world,
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed the importance of the individual
and collective right to the truth for the promotion of humanitarian law and justice,
and called on the international community on Monday, to recommit to helping victims
and protecting those who fight to uncover facts.
The International Day for
the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity
of Victims was created to pay tribute to human rights defender Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo
Romero, a prominent Roman Catholic priest in El Salvador who was murdered on 24 March
1980 for speaking up against poverty, social injustice, repression, assassinations
and torture.
“Our commemorations defy the attempt by his murderers to silence
his cries for justice and reinforce the importance of standing firm for fundamental
freedoms,” stated Mr. Ban, adding that “this day is also dedicated to honouring the
memory of all victims of gross human rights violations, and to supporting all those
who promote and protect human rights.”
Highlighting that informing societies
on the fundamental freedoms and their potential violations is a vital safeguard against
abuses recurring, the Secretary-General insisted that “every victim has the right
to know the truth and how violations affect them.”
The UN supports a range
of efforts to uncover the facts about gross violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law, and to promote justice, propose reparations and recommend reforms
of abusive institutions. Over the past year, the UN has supported Commissions of Inquiry
on, respectively, the Central African Republic, Syria and the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, as well as the establishment of a Truth and Dignity Commission
in Tunisia.
Mr. Ban noted that a Special Rapporteur, Pablo de Greiff, was appointed
by the Human Rights Council in 2012 to analyze challenges faced by truth commissions
around the world and propose responses to strengthen the effectiveness of those mechanisms.
“On
this International Day, I call for the vigorous implementation of all recommendations
of commissions of inquiry and truth commissions in addressing gross human rights violations
and serious violations of international humanitarian law,” said the Secretary-General,
urging renewed commitment from the international community “to working to help victims,
their relatives and society as a whole to realize the right to truth – and to protecting
those who fight to see the truth prevail.”