What are the Siracusa Principles?

Answer 1

A group of 31 experts in international law, convened by the International Commission of Jurists, the International Association of Penal law, the American Association for the International Commission of Jurists, the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights and the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences, met in Siracusa, Sicily, for a week in spring 1984 to consider the limitation and derogation provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The participants were agreed upon the need for a close examination of the conditions and grounds for permissible limitations and derogations enunciated in the Covenant in order to achieve and effective implementation of the rule of law.

Answer 2

The Siracusa Principles are a set of international guidelines that provide guidance on the application of international human rights norms during states of emergency. They outline the conditions under which certain rights can be restricted in times of crisis, emphasizing the principles of legality, legitimacy, necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The principles aim to ensure that any limitations on rights during emergencies are strictly necessary and proportionate to the threat.