International Federation of Human Rights Leagues

The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH), founded in 1922, is composed of 144 NGOs, among whom the French "Ligue des droits de l'homme" (LDH) and the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights.

It has consultative or observer status with several international bodies, including the Economic and Social Council in the UN, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and the International Labour Organization. FIDH also has “regular contact” with the European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organization of American States, United Nations Development Programme, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

FIDH's mandate “is to contribute to the respect of all the rights defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” It aims to make “effective improvements in the protection of victims, the prevention of Human Rights violations and the sanction of their perpetrators.” Its priorities are established by its World Congress and International Board (22 members) with the support of its International Secretariat (30 staff members).

FIDH Funding

FIDH’s total income in 2005 was €3,503,106 (nearly US$4.5m), of which €2,803,294 (over US$3.5m) came from “grants and donations,” comprising approximately 80% of its income. FIDH’s finances lack transparency, as funding sources are not itemized on its website or in financial statements, and no response was received to letters requesting this information. Instead, FIDH lists general figures and provides a financial summary: “FIDH relies heavily on donations from the public and from private businesses, contributions from its member organizations and on the commitment of its voluntary workers. It also receives grants from international and national bodies, and from foundations...”

FIDH Activities

FIDH’s International Justice Program (IJP) is one of its central campaigns and “benefits from the support of the European Commission (European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights).” Through the IJP, FIDH was a prime actor in the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is a major proponent of “universal jurisdiction” -- the ability to try violators of human rights or perpetrators of war crimes in any court in the world.

Israelis are frequent targets of legal actions that claim to be based on the criteria for international criminal prosecutions, and these campaigns are often spearheaded by the NGO community. FIDH utilizes terminology such as “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” when describing Israeli military or government actions so as to place those actions within the remit of universal jurisdiction. Reports of international criminal prosecutions against Israelis are posted on FIDH’s website and discussed in its joint newsletter, “EU Update on International Crimes,” published in conjunction with the NGO, Redress. Most recently, FIDH encouraged Franco-Lebanese nationals to prosecute Israelis in France for “war crimes of exceptional gravity, knowingly organized by a democratic government.”

Actions, however, are not limited to Israelis. In Oct. 2007 a lawsuit was filed in France alleging that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld oversaw torture operations at US-run detention centres in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

FIDH's Reporting on the War in Lebanon, Summer 2006

On 1 August 2006, FIDH published a statement condemning Israel for its actions during the Lebanon War. The article acknowledges the "despicable game played by Syria and Iran" and the "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli cities that "as the argument goes, …amount to war crimes," yet dismisses any justification for Israel’s military response:

"Nothing can justify the losses inflicted on the [Lebanese and Palestinian] civil populations, which are not collateral effects of legitimate actions of war but are instead a deliberate and willful punishment on the collective population, including murder. These are war crimes of exceptional gravity, knowingly organized by a democratic government."

External links

* [http://www.fidh.org/ FIDH official website]