CoE Commissioner Mujnieks+IPCAN Head Toubon to EF: Terror Suspects+Victims' Rights v. Police

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- In fact, it's on their main Duty to Protect Humanity against Barbarism, that conscientious Policemen have to Focus, Both when they must be Tough, Fast, Bold and Smart in order to Save Innocent People and the Society from Islamist a.o. Deadly Terrorist Attacks, and when they must Take Care to Avoid or Rectify on time eventual Abuses of the Powers that Society entrusts to them, agreed the Experienced Head of the IPCAN European Network of Human Rights Watchdogs on Police Activities, former Minister and currently Ombudsman in France, Jacques Toubon, speaking to "Eurofora" at the Conclusion of a Press Conference on a 2 Days Long PanEuropean Colloquy co-organized with the CoE on the Respect of Citizens'" Rights and Freedoms in the Context of Strengthening the Fight against Terrorism".

This rare event, including Police Watchdogs from several European States, Human Rights' Defenders (including from the EU and CoE, etc) and experienced Police Oficers, took place right in front of the ECHR's Building in Strasbourg, but also the Same Day that a New Terrorist Attack stroke earlier this Morning at London's Subway, making about 30 Wounded Victims, closely Followed also by 2 Knife and Hammer Islamist Terrorist Attacks in France against Police or Civilian Women in France.

Toubon, as well as COE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, together with British and Danish Representatives of that unique "Independent Police Complaints Authorities' Network" (IPCAN), Replied earlier, During that main Press Conference at the CoE to a series of Topical "Eurofora"s Questions, Starting by one on the obvious, Today, need to Balance Both Terrorism Suspects', and Terrorism Victims' Human Rights adequately, in an "Increased Tension", nowadays, that CoE's Conference had earlier noted, between a Need to Protect, but also to Respect People, wondering how, concretely, a desired Extension of Independent Ovesight Authorities could practicaly help to Tackle this issue in the forseable Future :

(Recently, indeed, some Islamist Terror's Victims' Families had reportedly Criticized what they found as Lack of elementary Protection, f.ex. vis a vis ISIL's Deadly Attacks in Paris, at "Bataclan", on 2015, followed also by those at Nice, on 2016, etc. as well as in other similar incidents in Europe, as "Eurofora" reminded, citting also Articles 1, 2, 3 and 13 of the PanEuropean Convention of Human Rights, etc).

- Indeed, a Citizens' "Right to Safety", is something recognized "since Long", (f.ex. even since the French Revolution's Declaration of Rights, already as early as "since 1789"), and, "therefore, ECHR", in fact, Nowadays, "tries to strike a Balance between what is Necessary for that Legitimate Right to Security, and the Guarantees of the Fundamental Freedoms for all", as a matter of principle, President Toubon replied.

 - "It's in this Framework, that we speak about the Rights of the Victims, f.ex. of the recent Terrorist Attacks, on which we have recently worked", Toubon, who is also France's Ombudsman or, alias, "Defender of Rights", added in his Reply to that 1st "Eurofora"s Question.

 - "As far as it concerns, now, Police's Behavior, according to IPCAN's official Declaration, adopted Today in Strasbourg, those People who might Feel to have Suffered from ill-treatment by the Police, must be able to easily Present their Complaints, in order to be Examined by an Independent Authority", he stressed.

   - "In addition, naturaly, to the fact that Courts are always available for eventual Criminal Sanctions", in both cases.

    + "Human Rights are, obviously, for Everybody, withOut Distinguising between Victims and Perpetrators, Guilty or Innocent", etc., in cases of Terrorism, and People's "fundamental Right to get Protection is a Fundamental Issue, also for all Society", went on to Add, in Reply to "Eurofora"s above-mentioned Question, also Brittish deputy Chairwoman of UK's Independen Police Complaint Commission (IPCC), Sarah Green.

  - As far as "the Independent oversight of Police's Actions" is concerned, including States' Duty to found "Really Independent" Bodies, this still is, "an On-Going Challenge", Mrs Green went on to say. It's also "Important, in terms of Public Confidence", that "every day, we can prove, that any Investigation that we make, has an Added Value", she advised.

  => F.ex., Replying also to anOther, Specific "Eurofora" Question, on the Notorious Tragic case of an Innocent Brazilian Student, Jean-Charles Menedez (da Silva), a White Christian curiously, Erroneously Confused with an Arab Muslim Islamist Terror Suspect of Suicide-Bomb Attacks, and Brutally Shot and Killed by some London Policemen, Back on 2005, (i.e. just After the First Terror Bombings in London's Subway and in a Bus, which had just Killed or Wounded Many other Civilian People), Green found, in substance, that IPCC's Critical Investigations on that Blunder, even if they concerned an "Old Case", still were, indeed, "Worth Reflecting" on how to act in Recent Cases.

    - Even if the situation might have become "Completely Different" nowadays, f.ex. during "the Recent Terror Attacks", we have found that it's better to "Work Closely" with the Police, "while Respecting our Boundaries", and that Tragic Affair had Helped to do a useful "Learning", she concluded.

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    - Danish Director of the "Independant Police Complaints Authority" (IPCA) at Copenhagen, Kyrsten Dyrman, replying also to "Eurofora"'s Questions, stressed, in particular, that, one among the Main Conclusions of an "Evaluation" that we made, was that, "for the Danish People", the "Independance" of a Police Oversigt Body, as ours, was something "very Important".

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    + Returning back to "Eurofora"s Initial Question "about the Victims of Terrorism", CoE's PanEuropean Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, replied that, at least, "Human Rights can Help them Not to become Doubly Victimized" :

    - F.ex., at the South-East of Turkey, Ankara's Authorities had so much "Over-Reacted" to some Terrorist Attacks, that they had Destroyed a lot of Vilages, and Violently "Displaced many Hundrends of Thousands of People !", CoE's Commissioner Denounced.

    - But, "according to a Human Rights approach, any Reaction has to be Strictly Proportional to what is really Needed", Muiznieks reminded, as a matter of Principle.

     - Therefore, Human Rights can Help also Victims of Terrorism, Not to be "Dually Victimized", he concluded.

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    IPCAN's next Bi-Annual Conference is due to take place on 2019 in the UK, announced, in fine of Today's Press Conference, President Toubon.
    And it's due to Focus on the Need to Build "Trust" between the Police and some Communities, he added.

    I.e. an issue on which, at least as far as it concerns the recent Deadly Islamist Terrorist Attacks targetting innocent Civilian Peopla are concerned, the above-mentioned Opposition between "Humanity and Barbarism" (Comp. Supra), could certainly he Helpful, Toubon agreed with "Eurofora".