UN Treaty Bodies Clarify State Obligations Regarding Detention, Harmful Practices, and Refugee Women

Three United Nations (UN) human rights treaty bodies have released new interpretations concerning the rights to liberty and security of the person; harmful practices impacting women and girls; and the effect of gender on the refugee status, asylum, nationality, and statelessness of women. These general comments and general recommendation flesh out States parties’ obligations under three UN human rights treaties. The

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In the Case of Dominican and Haitian People Expelled v. the Dominican Republic, IACtHR Finds Multitude of Human Rights Violations

Last week, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights released its opinion in Case of Dominican and Haitian People Expelled v. the Dominican Republic, where it held that the State’s discrimination, detention, and mass expulsion of individuals of Haitian descent violated the rights to: juridical personality, nationality, a name, personal liberty, privacy, fair trial, judicial protection, equal protection before the law,

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Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Focuses on Women and Conditions in Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea during its 12th Session

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) held its twelfth session from September 15 to October 3, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee reviewed State reports from Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea regarding their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additionally, the agenda included the Committee’s review

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Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, Minister of Human Rights for Iraq during the special session on Iraq of the Human Rights Council. Credit: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

UN Human Rights Council Requests Investigation into Islamic State’s Human Rights Abuses in Iraq

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its 22nd special session this week to address human rights violations committed by the Islamic State and associated groups, which have been accused of mass atrocities as they move to take territory and eliminate minority groups in Iraq and neighboring countries. [OHCHR; Amnesty] The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution  requesting the

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Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to Review the United States, Peru, Japan, Iraq, Estonia, El Salvador, and Cameroon during Ongoing 85th Session

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) opened its 85th session on Monday, August 11 in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, which will close on August 29, the Committee’s  agenda includes its review of periodic reports from seven States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), consideration of individual complaints

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