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GENEVA / PILLAY
STORY: GENEVA / PILLAY
TRT: 4.15
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
DATELINE: 10 JUNE 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Tilt down, ceiling to meeting room
2. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“The relentless violence in the Syrian Arab Republic is a tragedy for the Syrian people and a tragic failure for the cause of human rights. To take one example, Aleppo has been bombed to rubble, with widespread loss of life and extensive damage to fundamental infrastructures such as water supply networks. The people of Aleppo live in conditions that should outrage the conscience of humanity.”
3. Cutaway, back shot of Pillay
4. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“It is shocking beyond words that war crimes and crimes against humanity have become commonplace and occur with complete impunity. I am disappointed that the Security Council, with 13 votes in favor and two opposed, has been unable to reach agreement on action to ensure accountability for such crimes.”
5. Cutaway, Syrian delegate
6. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“Even within States with long-established democratic processes, the fight against discrimination can be undermined by extremist political rhetoric. I am disturbed by the recent increase across the political spectrum in several States in Western Europe of a discourse rooted in anti-immigrant and racist sentiment and religious intolerance.”
7. Cutaway, French delegate
8. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“The new European Parliament will include a German party leader who has said, I quote, ‘Europe is the continent of white people and it should remain that way’.A French party leader who has compared peaceful Muslim street prayers to the military occupation of her country by the Nazis. An Italian member who has been found guilty of arson for setting fire to the pallets of migrants sleeping under a bridge. There is a road to perpetration of human rights violations. And hate speech – particularly by political leaders – is on that road."
9. Cutaway, German delegate
10. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“Twice this year in the United States we have been reminded of the horrific procedures for putting to death human beings. The botched executions that took place in Ohio, in January, and in Oklahoma, in April, re-emphasize that a State that prides itself on its justice system should put an end to this barbaric form of punishment. I welcome the Obama administration’s decision to conduct a policy review on the application of the death penalty in the United States. I hope this will lead to a moratorium, with a view to abolition. I also deplore the fact that since January this year, Iran has already executed more than two hundred individuals, most for drug crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” under international human rights law.”
11. Cutaway, US delegate
12. SOUNDBITE (English), Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights:
“The murder two weeks ago of a 23 year-old pregnant woman by family members in front of the Lahore High Court in Pakistan – and in the presence of police – is yet another shocking case of violence against women. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the dishonourable practice of punishing women and girls for exercising their fundamental right to make personal decisions regarding marriage, employment, finances and all other issues. I call on all countries in which these barbaric events take place to ensure that perpetrators are punished and that action is taken to prevent such crimes.”
13. Med shot, delegates
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said today (Jun 10) that its “shocking beyond words that war crimes and crimes against humanity have become commonplace” in Syria and that she is “disappointed that the Security Council, has been unable to reach agreement on action to ensure accountability for such crimes.”
Speaking at the opening of the 26th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Pillay said that “the relentless violence in the Syrian Arab Republic is a tragedy for the Syrian people and a tragic failure for the cause of human rights,” adding that “the people of Aleppo live in conditions that should outrage the conscience of humanity.”
She also said that she is disturbed by the recent increase across the political spectrum in several states in Western Europe of a discourse “rooted in anti-immigrant and racist sentiment and religious intolerance,” pointing out that “the new European Parliament will include a German party leader who has said ‘Europe is the continent of white people and it should remain that way’; a French party leader who has compared peaceful Muslim street prayers to the military occupation of her country by the Nazis; an Italian member who
has been found guilty of arson for setting fire to the pallets of migrants sleeping under a bridge.”
Also during her opening speech, Pillay criticized the United States and Iran for their use of the death penalty. She said that “the botched executions that took place in Ohio, in January, and in Oklahoma in April, re-emphasize that a State that prides itself on its justice system should put an end to this barbaric form of punishment.
On Iran, the Human Rights Commissioner said that the state has already executed more than two hundred individuals in 2014, “mostly for drug crimes that do not meet the
threshold of most serious crimes under international human rights law.”
Pillay "condemn in the strongest possible terms" the murder of a 23 year-old pregnant woman by family members in front of the Lahore High Court in Pakistan two weeks ago, and "the dishonourable practice of punishing women and girls for exercising their fundamental right to make personal decisions regarding marriage, employment,
finances and all other issues". She called on all countries in which these "barbaric events take place" to ensure that perpetrators are punished and that action is taken to prevent such crimes.
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