civil society – Page 17 – International Justice Resource Center

Commission of Inquiry and Special Rapporteur on Eritrea: Mandates Extended

July 20, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, judicial independence, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, women's rights

On June 4, 2015, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (Commission) issued a report containing findings of “systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations” that might rise to the level of crimes against humanity committed by the State of Eritrea. [OHCHR Press Release: UN Inquiry] See UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Commission of

CEDAW Committee Reviews 8 States’ Records on Discrimination against Women

July 15, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, family, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, liberty & security of person, reproductive and sexual rights, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) is currently holding its 61st session from July 6 to July 24, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, the CEDAW Committee has been reviewing State reports submitted by Bolivia, Croatia, Gambia, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Spain, and Vietnam, on their implementation of the

European Committee of Social Rights Concludes 279^th Session

July 13, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, family, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, women's rights

The European Committee of Social Rights held its 279th Session from June 30 to July 3, 2015 in Strasbourg, France. The Committee, which is made up of 15 independent experts, is charged with overseeing State compliance with the European Social Charter, which protects economic and social rights. The agenda for this session included reviewing 20 collective complaints, examining national reports, discussing Charter provisions that have not been accepted

IACtHR 109th Ordinary Session Addresses Custodial Death in Guatemala, Abuses of Colombian Human Rights Defenders

July 6, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, reparations, right to life, thought, expression & association, women's rights

The 109th Ordinary Session of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) began on June 18 and concluded on July 1, 2015, in San Jose, Costa Rica. During this session, the Court publicly heard two cases, Chinchilla Sandoval and Others v. Guatemala and Yarce and Others v. Colombia. The first case concerned the ill-treatment, followed by the death, of a diabetic woman

Recent Human Rights Decisions Address Disability Discrimination, Non-Refoulement, and Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences

July 1, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, family, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

During the fall of 2014, at each of their respective sessions, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), and the Committee Against Torture (CAT) adopted key decisions on topics including the definition of disability; enforced disappearances; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; juvenile life imprisonment;

Human Rights Committee Reviews 7 States’ Records on Civil and Political Rights

June 29, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

This week, the Human Rights Committee will commence its 114th session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session will take place from June 29 to July 24, during which time the Committee will review the State reports of Canada, France, Macedonia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. The Committee will also review reports submitted by civil society organizations and national human

New Members Elected to Inter-American Human Rights Bodies, Amid Controversy

June 25, 2015 IJRC civil society, Inter-American System, international human rights, judicial independence

On June 16, 2015, at the 45th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C., Member States elected four commissioners to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and four judges to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). [IACHR Press Release] These eight positions comprise more than half of the total

ECtHR: Failure to Protect March Participants from Homophobic Attacks Violated Rights

June 23, 2015 IJRC civil society, discrimination, European System, international human rights, LGBTI rights

On May 12, 2015, in Identoba and Others v. Georgia, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Georgian authorities failed to protect participants in a 2012 peaceful march marking the International Day Against Homophobia from homophobic attacks, even after agreeing to provide police protection. The Court further held that authorities failed to properly investigate the incident and, particularly, the homophobic

CESCR Reviews 7 State Records on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

June 15, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, Employment & Scholarship Opportunities, family, freedom of religion, indigenous communities, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, property, reproductive and sexual rights, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) commenced its 55th session in Geneva, Switzerland on June 1. During this session, which will end on June 19, the Committee will review the State reports of Chile, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Thailand, Uganda, and Venezuela concerning the States’ implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). During the

African Commission Adopts Resolution on Right to Rehabilitation for Torture Victims

June 10, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, international human rights, reparations, torture, transitional justice

The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) adopted Resolution 303 on the right to rehabilitation for victims of torture during its 56th Ordinary Session, held from April 21 – May 7, 2015, in Banjul, the Gambia. See ACommHPR, Res. 303: Resolution on the Right to Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture, 56th Ordinary Session, 21 April- 7 May, 2015.