In continuity with the Opening session on the Murder of Journalists realized in The Hague on 2 November 2021 and the first hearing realized in Mexico City on 26-27 April, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) will hold the second and third thematic hearings on Sri Lanka and Syria on 12-13 and 16-17 May 2022 at The Hague Hearing Centre, The Hague, from 9 am to 5 pm. The hearings are devoted to the murder of the journalists Lasantha Wickrematunge and Nabil Al-Sharbaji.
Live streaming is available on this web site:
12-13 May: https://ptmurderofjournalists.org/sri-lanka-case-hearing-on-the-murder-of-journalist-lasantha-wickrematunge/
16-17 May: https://ptmurderofjournalists.org/syria-case-hearing-nabil-al-sharbaji/
During the first day of the two hearings, the PPT will hear witnesses on impunity for crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka and Syria. Witnesses will testify on specific groups of journalists at risk, impunity for crimes against journalists, and the role of the State in the prevention and investigation of these crimes. The second day is dedicated to the murder of the journalists Lasantha Wickrematunge and Nabil Al-Sharbaji. The Prosecutor presents the evidence collected and hears witnesses, who will speak about the circumstances of their death and the State investigation of the murder.
This PPT session was opened in response to a request from Free Press Unlimited, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders. The three thematic hearings on cases relating to the States of Mexico, Sri Lanka and Syria are considered as emblematic expression of the global scenario of violations of fundamental human rights against journalists outlined in the Opening session. The final hearing is scheduled for June 20, 2022 in The Hague.
The panel of judges, convened by the PPT President and the PPT General secretary, is integrated by, in alphabetical order: Eduardo Bertoni (Argentina), Representative of the Regional Office for South America of the InterAmerican Institute of Human Rights; Marina Forti (Italy), journalist and writer; Gill H. Boehringer, (Australia) former Dean and now Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Law, Macquarie University, Sydney; Mariarosaria Guglielmi (Italy), Magistrate, Vice President of Medel (Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et Libertés); Helen Jarvis (Australia-Cambodia), Vice-president of the PPT; Nello Rossi (Italy), Vice-president of the PPT; Kalpana Sharma (India), independent journalist; Philippe Texier (France), President of thePPT and Marcela Turati Muñoz (Mexico), freelance journalist.
Should you have any further question, please contact ppt@permanentpeoplestribunal.org
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The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) is an international opinion tribunal that is competent to judge any type of crime committed causing injury to peoples and minorities. It was established in Bologna in 1979 thanks to the intuition of jurist and politician Lelio Basso, on the basis of the framework defined in the Universal Declaration of the Rights of People (1976). Established as a direct continuation of the Russel Tribunals on Vietnam (1966-67) and Latin America (1973-76), it was then transformed into a permanent institution, able to give a voice and visibility to those people facing a lack of their rights, and impunity. The Tribunal is built around a network of 70 internationally recognized experts and actors, who are then appointed for the PPT panel of judges for each session. Through its 49 sessions and judgments, the Tribunal has given visibility to several cases of serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. It has recently expanded the scope of its competence to include economic, ecological, and systemic crimes.