It succeeded the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the use of mercenaries, which had been in existence since 1987 and was serviced by Mr. Enrique Bernales Ballesteros (Peru) from 1987 to 2004 and Ms. Shaista Shameem (Fiji). Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The Working Group is composed of five independent experts, of balanced geographical representation, who are elected by the Human Rights Council for a one-time renewable three-year term. Risks included humanitarian actors and their premises being perceived as legitimate military targets, dragging them into a conflict, if force was used by the personnel of private military and security companies, undermining the principle of neutrality and giving the impression that humanitarian actors were involved in a conflict. The announcement caps a frenetic 36 hours in . Wagner Group fighters are thought to have been in Libya since 2014 and were tasked with supporting the eastern-based government and its de-facto head, former Libyan warlordKhalifa Hifterwith tasks like security and training. Someone is being disappeared as we speak, said Mr. Mickevicius, urging the support of the Human Rights Council and United Nations bodies, international and regional organizations, but mostly from the States. In certain circumstances defined by international law, enforced disappearances might constitute a crime against humanity. Palais des Nations Some speakers said that the commercialisation of humanitarian aid and the use of private military and security services in humanitarian action was on the rise and may impact humanitarian operations, their principles, and the potential for abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law. The Working Group strongly recommends the regulation of this sector in the interest of preventing potential human rights violations. In paragraph 2 of resolution 7/21, the Human Rights Council requested the Working Group: (a) To elaborate and present concrete proposals on possible complementary and new standards aimed at filling existing gaps, as well as general guidelines or basic principles encouraging the further protection of human rights, in particular the right of peoples to self-determination, while facing current and emergent threats posed by mercenaries or mercenary-related activities; (b) To seek opinions and contributions from Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations on questions relating to its mandate; (c) To monitor mercenaries and mercenary-related activities in all their forms and manifestations in different parts of the world; (d) To study and identify sources and causes, emerging issues, manifestations and trends regarding mercenaries or mercenary-related activities and their impact on human rights, particularly on the right of peoples to self-determination; (e) To monitor and study the effects on the enjoyment of human rights, particularly the right of peoples to self-determination, of the activities of private companies offering military assistance, consultancy and security services on the international market, and to prepare a draft of international basic principles that encourage respect for human rights by those companies in their activities. Joint online PI-OHCHR event on new report presented by Working Group on the use of mercenaries Wagner mercenaries turn away from Moscow after Belarus brokers deal Stand up for Human Rights. He concluded by saying that there was no need for political differences and that if States were speaking with one voice, there was no reason to believe that the current pandemic could not be overcome. He has also visited Russian prisons to fill the group's ranks, promising freedom to Russian inmates between the ages of 22 and 50 if they choose to serve in the mercenary outfit for six months. However analysts believe that the group is likely active in more than 30 countries around the world. Although the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries has been extremely critical of private security contractors, the UN is increasingly turning to PMSCs in its missions abroad. As such, most foreigners in principle can legitimately fight on the side of the Government. Armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) must lay down their arms and engage in political dialogue, a UN-appointed independent human rights expert said on Friday, urging the international community to strengthen efforts to restore State authority and end impunity there. Receive daily updates directly in your inbox -, Rise in mercenary forces trigger rampant human rights violations, Armenia: Rights experts commend laws to curb use of mercenaries, Mali: Independent rights experts call for probe into Wagner Groups alleged crimes, Venezuela, Poland and Sudan amongst 14 new Human Rights Council members, Mali: Security situation deteriorates, human rights concerns rise, Central African Republic: Militias spreading terror, insecurity, must lay down arms. Join us and make a difference. Mr. Ravindran Daniel (India) was appointed to the position of Chair-Rapporteur in November 2022. Some Russians greeted the weekend's armed insurrection led by the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, with sympathy, appearing to welcome the mercenary fighters. [58] . Private Military and Security Companies and the UN Working Group on the Private contractors have not been used in combat roles, but UN reliance on these firms is growing as its personnel become increasingly targeted in zones of conflict. Speakers reiterated their concerns about the activities of private military and security companies, which acted in a sort of legal vacuum and with impunity. Ukraine presents a very specific context, marked by conflict and a corresponding complex array of actors, agendas and constituencies. Others Group Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. What is the Wagner Group, and who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? What to know Russia, a longtime ally of the country's authoritarian government, had come to the aid of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad earlier that year. The recruitment and use of mercenaries is prohibited by international law. June 24, 2023. CH-1211 Geneva 10 The recommendation made by the Working Group to the United Nations to create an open-ended intergovernmental working group to consider an international regulatory framework to monitor PMSCs has been accepted despite the opposition of western states. Wagner Is Losing Its Grip on Africa, Too - The Washington Post The Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination Latest news: "Mercenaries still pose a serious threat to human rights," warns UN expert body (8 April 2011) 30 October 2018 Mercenaries, Private Military Contractors Can Destabilize Rule of Law, Expert Tells Third Committee, amid Calls to End Racism, Respect Migrant Rights On October 27, in a joint statement, 16 UN Working Group experts and special rapporteurs referred to the special commission finding earlier that month that "Russian instructors" had committed. UN experts call for war crimes investigation into Wagner mercenaries in They were concerned about the persistence of enforced disappearances, which constituted extremely serious human rights violations. The report analysed the fundamental lack of transparency around these operations, most notably in the relationships between clients and service providers. Replies from the ICC Prosecutor regarding the Situation in the State of Palestine The Working Group is composed of five independent experts, of balanced geographical representation, who are elected by the Human Rights Council for a period of three years, which can be renewed once for an additional three years. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. It recommends for the Government of Ukraine to draw up a strategy and plan of action on foreign engagement in the armed conflict, within the framework of the Minsk Protocols. After he was freed from jail, Prigozhin ran a hot dog stand before he became the owner of several fancy restaurants in Saint Petersburg. Wagner Group, headed byYevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Group is particularly active in Africa, including gold, manganese, silicon and uranium. In the discussion on enforced disappearances, speakers said that unfortunately enforced or involuntary disappearances continued to be a phenomenon that occurred in all regions of the world. A team of independent United Nations experts said today that a number of private security companies operating in conflict zones are engaging in new forms of mercenary activity, warning that States employing them could be liable for human rights violations committed by their personnel. [5] The distinction between [a] mercenary and [a] foreign fighter is important in clarifying the situation of foreign armed actors in Ukraine, the self-proclaimed Donetsk peoples republic and the self-proclaimed Luhansk peoples republic. Texts adopted - Human rights violations by private military and Does IHL contain a general prohibition against the involvement of foreigners in an armed conflict? Some speakers said that the Working Group had deviated from the established rules of procedure by accepting comments that often did not contain any new factual information, but only personal opinions, assumptions or allegations made by anonymous sources. The split between the Kremlin and Prigozhin's Wagner forces raises questions about the future of the group's influence in those regions. He called on the international community to come together and strengthen the efforts to tackle this scourge. student at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, under the supervision of Professor Marco Sassli and Ms. Yvette Issar, research assistant, both at the University of Geneva. Persons in vulnerable situations, women, children, migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, LGBTI+ persons, older persons, minorities, human rights defenders and journalists, are experiencing particularly negative impacts, the experts highlighted. The Working Group also notes the amendments to the Ukrainian legislation of October 2015 and December 2015 that allow for the incorporation of . Some speakers said that the Working Group's conclusions had proven to be unsubstantiated and urged the Working Group to verify the credibility of the sources, as required by the Code of Conduct of the Special Procedures. Speakers said that unfortunately, forced or involuntary disappearances continued to be a phenomenon that occurred in all regions of the world. The General Assembly also regularly adopts resolutions on the use of mercenaries that touch on the activities of the Working Group, most recently through resolution 74/138 in 2019.
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