Information Meeting on the UPR Process in the United States of America
- JPTi
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
On 5 November 2025, Justice pour Tous Internationale (JPTi), in cooperation with the Global Accountability Alliance (GAA) and Green and Better World (GBW), successfully convened an Information Meeting on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in the United States of America at the Palais des Nations, Room VIII.
The meeting focused on the United States’ persistent non-compliance with Article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the broad and prolonged use of national emergency powers that continue to operate without the mandatory notifications to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Participants examined how this “permanent architecture of emergency” undermines the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality that are fundamental to the ICCPR, while facilitating the erosion of democratic checks and balances and the militarisation of law enforcement.
Mr. Sharof Azizov, Executive Director of JPTi, delivered the principal statement, presenting JPTi’s detailed legal assessment of the domestic framework established under Executive Orders 14059 and 14157 and Proclamation 10886. In his address, Mr. Azizov echoed the recent warnings and condemnations issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism; and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions. He recalled their joint statements of 21 October and 4 November 2025, in which they described the repeated and systematic lethal attacks by the United States military on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific as potential international crimes. Mr. Azizov underscored that these operations—conducted outside any lawful context of self-defence, armed conflict, or imminent threat—constitute grave violations of international human rights and maritime law, and that no executive order or emergency decree can override the right to life guaranteed under the ICCPR.
Ms. Matilde Pacheco, Human Rights Officer at JPTi, further analysed the domestic implications of prolonged emergency governance in the United States, highlighting its impact on due process, freedom of expression, and the independence of judicial and civil institutions. She called upon the U.S. Government to reform the National Emergencies Act and the IEEPA to ensure compliance with the strict standards of necessity, proportionality, and temporality required under international law.
Ms. Giulia Pratesi of the Global Accountability Alliance (GAA) broadened the discussion to the global level, addressing the extraterritorial repercussions of U.S. emergency governance and sanctions regimes. She warned that the absence of Article 4(3) notifications constitutes a systematic circumvention of international accountability mechanisms, setting a precedent that threatens the universality of human rights oversight.
The event concluded with a collective reaffirmation that emergency powers must remain exceptional, temporary, and subject to oversight, and that the rule of law must prevail over executive expedience.
Justice pour Tous Internationale expresses its appreciation to all co-organizers, partners, and participants for their commitment to advancing accountability within the UPR framework. JPTi remains firmly dedicated to the principle that no State stands above international law, and that the preservation of human dignity requires transparency, restraint, and compliance with universal human rights standards.
📍 Location: Palais des Nations, Geneva
📅 Date: 5 November 2025
Co-organized by: Green and Better World (GBW) and Global Accountability Alliance (GAA)
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