The United Nations in Geneva. (Photo: Henry Muhlpfordt/Wikimedia/cc)
May 06, 2015
A United Nations tribunal on Wednesday ruled that the agency unlawfully retaliated against an internal whistleblower who exposed allegations that French "peacekeeping" troops in Central African Republic had sexually abused children.
Presiding Judge Thomas Laker ordered the UN to immediately reinstate Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was suspended in April for leaking an internal UN report to French authorities last summer.
The report identified children between the ages of eight and fifteen who said they were abused by French troops while at a internally displaced persons camp in Bangui, the capital of CAR. In some cases, children said they were forced to perform sex acts in exchange for food. The UN has indicated that it is possible that the number of children impacted could, in fact, be far greater than those highlighted in the report.
French authorities are currently investigating the findings.
Top UN officials have repeatedly defended the decision to retaliate against Kompass for the disclosure on the grounds that he had violated "protocol."
But critics have charged that the UN, in fact, orchestrated a crackdown on a whistleblower to cover its own trail.
Judge Laker said the suspension was "prima facie unlawful" and warned that the harm to Kompass's career may be irreversible.
Lawyers for Kompass confirmed their belief that the significant damage to their client has already been done:
The Applicant has an unblemished employment record and his competence and integrity, which have never been questioned throughout his career, are cast into doubt by the contested decision; the publicity of the process resulting from him having been placed on administrative leave leads to an exacerbation of the reputational damage to the Applicant each day the administrative leave continues.
According toThe Guardian, "The order of the dispute tribunal on Wednesday means Kompass's suspension will be lifted temporarily while an internal management review takes place into the handling of the case."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
A United Nations tribunal on Wednesday ruled that the agency unlawfully retaliated against an internal whistleblower who exposed allegations that French "peacekeeping" troops in Central African Republic had sexually abused children.
Presiding Judge Thomas Laker ordered the UN to immediately reinstate Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was suspended in April for leaking an internal UN report to French authorities last summer.
The report identified children between the ages of eight and fifteen who said they were abused by French troops while at a internally displaced persons camp in Bangui, the capital of CAR. In some cases, children said they were forced to perform sex acts in exchange for food. The UN has indicated that it is possible that the number of children impacted could, in fact, be far greater than those highlighted in the report.
French authorities are currently investigating the findings.
Top UN officials have repeatedly defended the decision to retaliate against Kompass for the disclosure on the grounds that he had violated "protocol."
But critics have charged that the UN, in fact, orchestrated a crackdown on a whistleblower to cover its own trail.
Judge Laker said the suspension was "prima facie unlawful" and warned that the harm to Kompass's career may be irreversible.
Lawyers for Kompass confirmed their belief that the significant damage to their client has already been done:
The Applicant has an unblemished employment record and his competence and integrity, which have never been questioned throughout his career, are cast into doubt by the contested decision; the publicity of the process resulting from him having been placed on administrative leave leads to an exacerbation of the reputational damage to the Applicant each day the administrative leave continues.
According toThe Guardian, "The order of the dispute tribunal on Wednesday means Kompass's suspension will be lifted temporarily while an internal management review takes place into the handling of the case."
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
A United Nations tribunal on Wednesday ruled that the agency unlawfully retaliated against an internal whistleblower who exposed allegations that French "peacekeeping" troops in Central African Republic had sexually abused children.
Presiding Judge Thomas Laker ordered the UN to immediately reinstate Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was suspended in April for leaking an internal UN report to French authorities last summer.
The report identified children between the ages of eight and fifteen who said they were abused by French troops while at a internally displaced persons camp in Bangui, the capital of CAR. In some cases, children said they were forced to perform sex acts in exchange for food. The UN has indicated that it is possible that the number of children impacted could, in fact, be far greater than those highlighted in the report.
French authorities are currently investigating the findings.
Top UN officials have repeatedly defended the decision to retaliate against Kompass for the disclosure on the grounds that he had violated "protocol."
But critics have charged that the UN, in fact, orchestrated a crackdown on a whistleblower to cover its own trail.
Judge Laker said the suspension was "prima facie unlawful" and warned that the harm to Kompass's career may be irreversible.
Lawyers for Kompass confirmed their belief that the significant damage to their client has already been done:
The Applicant has an unblemished employment record and his competence and integrity, which have never been questioned throughout his career, are cast into doubt by the contested decision; the publicity of the process resulting from him having been placed on administrative leave leads to an exacerbation of the reputational damage to the Applicant each day the administrative leave continues.
According toThe Guardian, "The order of the dispute tribunal on Wednesday means Kompass's suspension will be lifted temporarily while an internal management review takes place into the handling of the case."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.