Page 33 - DIVA_2_2018

INTERNATIONAL

Questions for

Anon Stok, TREST NGO

by Marit Fosse

You have come to Geneva to attend observer, but an integral part of our this Territory (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia)
the Human Right Council? What is past and present issues, as well as of do not allow this status - in favour
the reason for your venue? the potential future solutions to them. of which we deposited over 14.000
I came to Geneva, together with my signatures at the OHCHR Registry
colleagues from Triest NGO, in order To define an independent State what is - to be applied, as well as all the
to let it be known that there is an needed are a territory with its borders, rights that are connected to it. These
unsolved set of issues that involves a sovereignty, and citizens to exercise rights are specifically mentioned by
wide range of Human and Civil Rights it. We have all three, as of today. Internationaltreaties and, forinstance,
violations, right in the heart of Europe. I mentioned rights being violated stripping tens of thousands of citizens
In 1947, via the Peace Treaty that earlier, so let me make an example. of their citizenship is a clear violation
was imposed to Italy after the war, a A sovereign country needs citizens of Article 15.2 of the Universal
sovereign country was created: the that can exercise such sovereignty: Declaration of Human Rights, which
Free Territory of Trieste (FTT). The in our case, these are the citizens states that "No one shall be arbitrarily
connection between this territory of the Free Territory of Trieste, as deprived of his nationality" Yet,
and the United Nations is so close defined by the Peace Treaty, which this is exactly what is happening.
that a specific Security Council came into force on September 15,
resolution (n.16/1947) was crafted 1947. We also now have undeniable We have been raising awareness
one month before the very peace proof that such status had been, at about this at the Human Rights
treaty that founded our country least partially, applied in the past. Council, having met - among others
was signed, which gave the UN Yet, despite that very same Treaty - with the Committee on Economic,
direct responsibilities over the FTT. recognised by the International Social and Cultural Rights, and
For this reason, we do not consider the community as being today fully in the OHCHR Independent Expert
United Nations to be just an external force, thegovernmentsthatadminister on the promotion of a democratic

INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT - DIVA 31