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March 23, 2010

IMADR Statement, Human Rights Council 13th Session
Item 9, General Debate

Mr. President,

IMADR welcomes the initiatives taken by the OHCHR to keep the issues of racism and racial discrimination in an interactive dialogue. We urge the Council to work towards developing a consensus related to recognising the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the Effective Elimination of Discrimination based on Work and Descent as an important international document thereby assisting in the holistic struggle to combat racism and racial discrimination.

IMADR also calls for a support of the international community to a fair and just trial, disclosure of evidences and guarantee of the right to defense in the Sayama Case which was based on false accusation of murder against Mr. Ishikawa, who is from Buraku, a community discriminated against based on “descent.”

In 2006, Mr. Kazuo Ishikawa with his defense team brought the third request for re-trial into the Tokyo High Court, submitting various new evidences that support innocence of Ishikawa and requesting for the fact-finding, while requesting the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor’s Office to disclose evidences it has kept. Several UN human rights bodies have also recommended the disclosure of evidences to ensure a fair trial for the Sayama Case.

On December 16, 2009, Tokyo High Court also recommended the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor’s Office to disclosure evidences. We request the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor’s Office to follow the stated recommendations and immediately disclose evidences, and call for the realization of fair and just re-trial of Sayama Case.

Furthermore we would like to bring to the notice of this Council the insecurity faced by Sri Lankan human rights defenders who attend the council sessions in an open and transparent manner. A Sinhala daily newspaper published photographs taken at the entrance to the Council building in an article. This has grave implications in relation to threat to life of the 3 activists whose pictures appeared in this article as traitors. Apparently the photograph has been taken by a telephone camera as they were in a conversation at the entrance. At the same time, these photographs have not been taken by any accredited media personnel working within the building which raises further sense of insecurity to human rights defenders.

Thank you Mr. President.