Thank you Mr. Chairman.
 

The Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty highly values the opportunity to interact with all the UN system of protection of human rights. In particular, we appreciate the appointment of a Special Rapporteur for the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence. We attach great importance to the right to truth as a modern customary human right, stemming from a widespread practice supported by a consistent opinio juris.

 

So far it has been formally applied in at least two courts: in Argentina (Hairabedian case) and Brazil (Lund vs Brazil).

 

The NRPTT believes that the right to knowledge of the truths concerning institutional public events finds explicit application in the context of the Iraq war waged in 2003 by George Bush and Tony Blair.

 

In this respect, we believe it is necessary to emphasize and support the important work of the “Iraq Inquiry”, led by Sir John Chilcot in the UK.

 

Also in the Netherlands in 2009 the “Commissie Davids” has looked into the involvement of the Dutch troops. Furthermore, influential Australian politicians recently requested the set-up of such an inquiry, based on the Chilcot model.

 

These inquiries can be considered “truth commissions” that have been and are involved in the reconstruction of tragic events in various countries, like the South African truth commissions, praised by personalities such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who recently stated that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair should be tried over Iraq.

 

Unfortunately such inquiries have also shown that governments withhold information that is key to establishing truth by using categories like “classified information”. For example, Mr. Blair was explicit about regime change for the first time on the day the invasion of Iraq began.

 

Similarly, the truth should be sought also in respect of the then Berlusconi government, which supported the invasion despite being formally engaged by the Italian parliament to seek the exile for Saddam Hussein.

 

Such commissions provide an active opportunity for governments to promote the search for justice and truth, and the best way to achieve non-recurrence is by establishing the truth in the first place.

 

We wish therefore to express our support to the Special Rapporteur, Pablo De Greiff, and we look forward to cooperate with him and all the relevant UN actors and bodies involved in the promotion of truth.