democracy & political rights – Page 6 – International Justice Resource Center

News Clips- September 30, 2016

September 30, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, children, civil society, cultural rights, death penalty, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Civil Society A court in China sentenced three activists to three years imprisonment in one case and over a year for the other two individuals. [Jurist] The Facebook accounts of Palestinian journalists who work in occupied Palestinian territories were frozen last week. [Al Jazeera] United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association called

UN Investigation Confirms Rights Abuses in Burundi, Recommends Increased Accountability

September 27, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, economic, social & cultural rights, education, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, family, health, human rights defenders, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, Universal system

In response to the ongoing crisis in Burundi, the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) presented its final report to the Human Rights Council on September 27, 2016, which documented evidence of gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the government and its affiliates. [OHCHR Press Release] UNIIB was formed in light of increasing instability in Burundi, which was prompted

News Clips- September 16, 2016

September 16, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil litigation, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, family, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, Universal system

Migrants and Refugees Amnesty International reported that tens of thousands of refugees have been cut off from humanitarian aid for the last two months in an area between Syria and Jordan. [Al Jazeera] The hunger strike of a former Guantanamo detainee currently residing in Uruguay as a refugee prompted a judge this week to order a medical evaluation. [Washington Post]

News Clips- September 2, 2016

September 2, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, children, civil litigation, civil society, conditions of detention, corporate accountability, death penalty, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, education, environmental rights, European System, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

Civil Society United Nations human rights experts showed concern for the harassment, detention, and torture of six human rights activists in Sudan who now may also face the death penalty. [OHCHR Press Release] With tens of millions of workers on strike in India, 150 million people were involved in protests on Friday. [Guardian] Girls at a high school in Pretoria,

News Clips – August 26, 2016

August 26, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, civil society, corporate accountability, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Civil Society A member of the United Democratic Party, an opposition political party in Gambia, died while in detention last Saturday, prompting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn the death and conditions of detention. [UN News Centre] The Ethiopian government announced this week that it will not prosecute the Olympic athlete who publically

News Clips- August 19, 2016

August 19, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, ATCA litigation, children, civil litigation, civil society, conditions of detention, corporate accountability, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Civil Society Ahead of a constitutional referendum scheduled for September, Azerbaijani authorities have arrested several activists critical of the government within the last week. [RSF] In order to make room for civil society members arrested after the coup, Turkey announced that it will release inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses from its prisons. [NYT] Following the recent re-election of Zambia’s president,

News Clips- August 12, 2016

August 12, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, children, civil litigation, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, privacy, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, Universal system

International Criminal Law Nada Kiswanson, a permanent representative at the International Criminal Court who works on evidence of war crimes in Palestine, has received death threats. [MEMO] The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh issued sentences to eight individuals for crimes against humanity. [Jurist] German investigators have identified eight individuals who they suspect of war crimes during the Nazi era. [The

News Clips – July 8, 2016

July 8, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, regional human rights protection, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction

Human Rights Bodies’ Activities The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution supporting online users’ human rights and criticizing internet shutdowns. [Access Now; TechCrunch] The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met with civil society representatives from the Philippines, Myanmar, and France ahead of those States’ interactive dialogues with the CEDAW Committee, which also took place this week as it

ICC Dismisses Case Against Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto

April 11, 2016 IJRC crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, women's rights

On April 5, 2016, the International Criminal Court (ICC) terminated charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto and co-accused radio broadcaster Joshua Sang due to a lack of evidence, following controversy surrounding witness testimony. [ICC Press Release] In part because of interference with witnesses and “political meddling” in the prosecution’s case, the ICC judges declined to

Rwanda Withdraws Access to African Court for Individuals and NGOs

March 14, 2016 IJRC African System, civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, transitional justice

The government of Rwanda has announced it will no longer allow individuals and non-governmental organizations to directly file complaints against it with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR). [Ministry of Justice Press Release] The decision comes as the African Court is set to decide a claim against Rwanda by a leading opposition politician, Victoire Ingabire, who alleges