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01 November 2000
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1 November 2000
The Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Dato' Param Cumaraswamy, today expressed, in a communication to the Spanish Government, his grave concern over the murder of Supreme Court Judge Jose Francisco Querol.
Justice Querol was killed when a car bomb exploded as he drove through Madrid on 30 November 2000. The attack has been attributed to the Basque separatist group, Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA). This comes after the murder of the Chief Prosecutor of the Andalucia Regional Court, also attributed to ETA, on 9 October 2000.
The Special Rapporteur expresses concern that these events amount to a concerted attempt to intimidate the judiciary and to undermine its independence and the entire administration of justice.
While expressing his understanding that the Spanish Government is taking steps to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice, the Special Rapporteur said he would like to reiterate the obligation of all States, as contained in Principle 2 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, to ensure that the judiciary can perform its judicial function free from any "threats or influences, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reason."
The Special Rapporteur condemns the assassinations as an attack on the independence of the judiciary and calls upon the Government to provide members of the judiciary, prosecutors and lawyers who are at risk with adequate security to ensure that they can function effectively and independently.
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The Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Dato' Param Cumaraswamy, today expressed, in a communication to the Spanish Government, his grave concern over the murder of Supreme Court Judge Jose Francisco Querol.
Justice Querol was killed when a car bomb exploded as he drove through Madrid on 30 November 2000. The attack has been attributed to the Basque separatist group, Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA). This comes after the murder of the Chief Prosecutor of the Andalucia Regional Court, also attributed to ETA, on 9 October 2000.
The Special Rapporteur expresses concern that these events amount to a concerted attempt to intimidate the judiciary and to undermine its independence and the entire administration of justice.
While expressing his understanding that the Spanish Government is taking steps to bring the perpetrators of the killings to justice, the Special Rapporteur said he would like to reiterate the obligation of all States, as contained in Principle 2 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, to ensure that the judiciary can perform its judicial function free from any "threats or influences, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reason."
The Special Rapporteur condemns the assassinations as an attack on the independence of the judiciary and calls upon the Government to provide members of the judiciary, prosecutors and lawyers who are at risk with adequate security to ensure that they can function effectively and independently.
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