In addition to supporting civil society organisations through training sessions and technical assistance in the preparation of their reports, Sine Qua Non has played an active role in Spain’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process by contributing to three comprehensive shadow reports. These reports, which were submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of the fourth cycle of Spain’s UPR, address critical human rights issues in Spain. They highlight significant concerns across a broad spectrum, including civil and political rights, as well as regional and cultural rights, with a focus on strengthening Spain’s compliance with international human rights standards.
- Civil and political rights
SQN has jointly produced a comprehensive report focusing on civil and political rights in Spain, co-signed by 10 NGOs. The document examines Spain’s compliance with international human rights standards and makes recommendations to protect the right to freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly and association, including improving transparency, police conduct and current legislation. You can read the full report here.
- Catalan in schools
SQN has also contributed to a specialised report on the situation of the Catalan language in schools. The report highlights how the Catalan language has been targeted by political prosecutions, highlighting the risks of entrusting language policy decisions to the judiciary. It underlines the importance of strengthening language policies to protect and promote Catalan in education and public life, and to ensure that linguistic rights are respected and preserved. For more details, see the report here.
- The political conflict between Catalonia and Spain
Finally, SQN, together with Amnistia i Llibertat, prepared a contribution analysing the political conflict in Catalonia and its consequences in terms of rights violations. The report urges Spain to adopt a more inclusive and rights-based approach to governance and encourages the Spanish government to advance the conflict resolution process, starting by ensuring the full application of the Amnesty Law. The full document can be found here.
Sine Qua Non is committed to the promotion of democracy, justice and human rights and aims to foster meaningful improvements in Spain’s human rights record as part of the UPR process.
Know more
The Universal Periodic Review
https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-home
What are the Cycles of the UPR?
https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/cycles-upr
SQN’s UPR toolkit for Civil Society Organisations
https://sqn-org.ch/upr-toolkit-for-cso
October 2024