UN experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Thursday that the United States sanctions imposed against several countries under a declared state of emergency, including against Russia and China, violate a wide range of human rights
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) UN experts from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Thursday that the United States sanctions imposed against several countries under a declared state of emergency, including against Russia and China, violate a wide range of human rights.
"The sanctions authorized by US on the base of announced states of emergency violate a wide range of human rights in China, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Nicaragua, the Russian Federation, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and other countries around the world, including rights to freedom of movement, of association, to due processes such as fair trial and the presumption of innocence, as well economic and social rights and the very right to life," the experts said.
UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures Alena Dpuhan and independent expert on human rights and international solidarity Obiora Okafor said the US emergencies often violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which allows stats to neglect certain rights when the very existence of states is in danger.
"Emergencies declared by the United States often last years... Instead of being true emergencies, they seem like excuses to impose sanctions indefinitely," the experts said.
They pointed out that among the reasons for US emergency declarations and sanctions are allegations of human rights abuses and efforts by international prosecutors to investigate Americans suspected of war crimes.
"None of these present an existential risk to the United States," the experts said.
They also noted that some of the US sanctions resulting from emergency declarations deny rights to people who allegedly engage in activities, such as helping with post-conflict reconstruction in Syria. Moreover, the United States imposed secondary sanctions against individuals who allegedly interact with sanctioned people and governments.
"These are penalties that are imposed without respecting due process rights in the ICCPR, like the right to fair trial," the experts said.
The experts called on the United States to fully comply with the key international human rights treaty and prevent any negative impact on the human rights of those sanctions under emergency declarations.
