News
Michael O’Flaherty has been elected as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has elected the Irish human rights lawyer Michael O'Flaherty as the fifth Commissioner for Human Rights, following Dunja Mijatović (2018-2024). The previous Commissioners were Nils Muižnieks (2012-2018),...
Sine Qua Non empowers Civil Society to actively participate on the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations
Sine Qua Non, on its role of empowering Civil Society to access systems of international organisations, has expanded its toolkit to make them aware of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The main goal pursued with this extension is to explain this mechanism to civil...
Sine Qua Non joins the Global Democracy Coalition
Sine Qua Non has been accepted as a member of the Global Democracy Coalition (GDC), a multi-stakeholder strategic alliance established in 2021. The GDC's objective is to bring together organizations dedicated to advancing democracy, and to influence the Democracy...
United Nations shows concern about the situation of Catalan language in schools
Sine Qua Non, along with six other civil society organizations from the Catalan-speaking area (Plataforma per la Llengua, el Sindicat d'Estudiants dels Països Catalans (SEPC), Fundació Escola Valenciana, Language Rights, USTEC-STEs and La Intersindical) informed the...
With the focus on “Minorities and Cohesive Societies: Equality, Social Inclusion, and Socio-economic Participation”, the 16th session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues took place on Geneva on 30th November and 1st December
The Forum on Minority Issues is a platform for promoting dialogue and cooperation on issues related to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as thematic contributions and expertise to the work of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues. It...
Sine Qua Non submitted information and suggestions to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism
As a contribution to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism’s mandate, SQN presented an input focused on the dangers of broadening the definition of terrorism and its consequencies...
The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, submitted her first report at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council
The newly appointed Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, presented her first report at the Human Rights Council. She gave her vision for the mandate, setting out the need to reimagine access to justice and the rule of...
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) holded its 85th session
From 8 to 26 May 2023, the 85th session of the CEDAW, the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, took place at Palais des Nations, in Geneva. For this period, Spain...
Five Special Procedures of the United Nations urge the Spanish government to take measures to stop the persecution to Catalan independentism
The Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of magistrates and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights...
Sine Qua Non participates as a member of the scientific committee of the II Congress of Advocacy for the Defence of Civil and Political Rights
Amnistia i Llibertat (Amnesty and Freedom), an organisation created to watch over and protect human rights in Catalonia, and to put an end to repression and persecution against independence, organises the II Congress of Advocacy for the Defence of Civil and Political...
The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues presented the process of drafting a new treaty
Besides the overview of the activities since his previous report (A/HRC/49/46) and the activities marking the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the UN...
Three UN Special Procedures urge Spain to take active measures against the use of spyware
On May 2022, Sine Qua Non, in behalf of several Catalan politicians belonging to the political organisation Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), and in coordination with other organizations affected by Catalangate, co-signed a communication to the UN denouncing...