Last Thursday 24th of March all over the world was celebrated the fight for justice, truth and for dignity for the victims of human rights violations. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.ecdhr.org/?p=1494. The second was published at at https://www.oas.org/fr/CIDH/jsForm/File=/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2022/061.asp. The third was published at https://peacehumanity.org/projects-and-activities/raising-awareness/ As the world celebrates the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violation and for the Dignity of Victims, the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) recognise the fundamental importance of continuously shining a light on the systematic human rights violations in countries which often go unacknowledged and unpunished. "The people have a right to the truth as they have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Epictetus (55-135). On this 24th of March, the ECDHR joins the world and welcomes this recognition of the unique suffering of victims of human rights violations, not only at the time of abuses, but long after as they seek truth, acknowledgement, and justice. This commemorative day was established in 2010 by the General Assembly of the U.N., who acknowledged the importance of "promoting the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and the importance of the right to truth and justice. This international day also seeks to pay tribute to those who have fought relentlessly, sometimes to the death, to ensure the respect of human rights for all. The right to truth is a concept often invoked in the case of grave human rights abuses and refers to the explicit right of victims and their relatives to know the full truth of what transpired, under which circumstances, and by whose hands. While the concept finds its roots in the 1970-80s in the context of widespread enforced disappearances in Latin American dictatorships of the time, it was explicitly referred to in a 2005 Resolution by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights who recognised its importance and potential to contribute to ending impunity. It was further explored in a 2006 report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, where it was pronounced as an "inalienable and autonomous right", linked to, but distinct from, the State duty to protect human rights, conduct effective investigations, and ensure remedy and reparations. Truth after human rights violations is paramount. Not only does it enable victims and their relatives to come to terms with their abuses, but it also provides them with access to effective reparations and remedy. When the abuses are clearly documented, the victim will be able to benefit from care and support for their psychological trauma, and the perpetrators may be identified and prosecuted. Truth is equally essential in ending the cycle of impunity by tearing down the all-too-common narratives propagated by the perpetrators or the government, namely that victims, especially human rights defenders, as "terrorists" or "enemies of the state". Human rights abuses in some countries are systematic and human rights defenders as well as national and international organisations continue to fight to amplify the voices of victims and communicate their experiences to the international community. However, remains a deep-seated culture of inpunity in some countries. Official bodies charged with investigating allegations of violations have generally been unable or unwilling to properly investigate these cases. On this 24th of March, the ECDHR takes the opportunity to reinforce its commitments to ending the cycle of impunity and fighting for the respect of human rights for all. The ECDHR upholds this commitment to the right to truth every day, and we urge the international community to add their poweful voice to advocate for justice and reparations for victims. On the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence remind States in the Americas of their obligation to commemorate, preserve and publicize the historical truth concerning serious rights violations. The IACHR and the Special Rapporteur call for the development of public policies on memory based on documentary and testimonial evidence and designed with the participation of victims and civil society. The IACHRand the Special Rapporteur are concerned about rollbacks including censorship of historically valuable documents and cultural initiatives and about the destruction of or difficulty in accessing archives and other evidence that is relevant to establish and preserve the historical truth. The IACHR and the U.N. Special Rapporteur warn States of their international obligations to retrieve, preserve and publicize the historical truth concerning human rights violations. They therefore call on States to protect the memory legacy and to refrain from adopting initiatives or fostering discourse that disregard the voices of victims or revictimize them. The State is under the obligation to combat the situation of impunity by all means, as it fosters chronic recidivism of human rights violations and total defenselessness of the victims and of their next of kin, who have the right to know the truth about the facts, this right to the truth, when it is recognized and exercised in a concrete situation, constitutes an important means of reparation therefore, the right to the truth generates an expectation of the victims, which the State must satisfy. In addition to the relatives of the victims directly affected by a human rights violation, the societyas a whole also is entitled to the right to be duly informed. The entire society has the right, which can not be given up to know the truth about what has occurred, as well as the reasons and ciscunstances in which crimes came to be committed, in order to avoid these incidents recurring in the future.
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