domestic courts – Page 5 – International Justice Resource Center

A witness testifies during Rios Montt's first genocide trial.Credit: Elena Hermosa/Trocair

Guatemalan Court Suspends Genocide Retrial of Former Dictator

January 8, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, domestic courts, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, massacres, torture, UN treaty bodies

The retrial of former Guatemalan dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt reopened on January 5, 2015, but was quickly suspended. [La Prensa; BBC] Charged with committing genocide and crimes against humanity against indigenous Ixil Maya of the Quiché region, the 88-year-old ex-army general is allegedly responsible for 15 massacres carried out against indigenous Mayans during his rule from 1982 to 1983,

Chadian Court Initiates First Trial against Habré-Era Security Agents

November 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, International Court of Justice, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, torture

November 14 marked the start of the trial against 26 former security agents accused of committing murder, torture, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, assault, and battery during former dictator Hissène Habré’s rule in Chad from 1982 to 1990. [Reuters; HRW: Alleged Habré Accomplices] Advocates hope that the trial, set to take place before national courts in N’Djaména, Chad, will deliver a measure

As Blackwater Security Guards Are Convicted for Nisour Square Killings, UN Working Group Pushes for Enhanced Regulation of Private Security Companies

October 29, 2014 IJRC corporate accountability, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, international humanitarian law, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures

On October 22, jurors in a United States federal district court found four former Blackwater security guards guilty of first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis on September 16, 2007. The killings occurred while a team of security guards – code-named Raven 23 – employed by the private security company escorted a U.S. State Department

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

October 28, 2014 IJRC children, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, interim measures, liberty & security of person

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,

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 152nd Extraordinary Session in Mexico

Inter-American Commission Holds Extraordinary Session & Outreach Events in Mexico This Month

August 11, 2014 IJRC domestic courts, Inter-American System, LGBTI rights

This week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Commission) will hold its 152nd Extraordinary Period of Sessions in Mexico City, Mexico, to focus on the general human rights situation in the countries of Central America. [IACHR] These hearings will be the first in seven years to be held away from the Commission’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. In light of the controversial reform process

6 Key Takeaways on Protecting Women’s Rights through International Law and Advocacy

June 26, 2014 IJRC children, civil society, Commission on the Status of Women, discrimination, IJRC Updates, international human rights, LGBTI rights, reproductive and sexual rights, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

More than 75 people gathered last Thursday for Protecting Women’s Rights: International Law & Advocacy, a full-day conference for advocates and lawyers organized by the International Justice Resource Center (IJRC). The training, held at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, featured some of the most distinguished human rights and women’s rights practitioners in the world speaking on a variety

In Landmark Ruling, Haitian Court Opens Investigation into Jean-Claude Duvalier for Crimes against Humanity

February 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, international criminal law, liberty & security of person

On February 20, 2014, a historic Haitian appellate court ruling opened the door to the possible prosecution of former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier (“Baby Doc”) for crimes against humanity. Survivors of the Duvalier regime’s abuses and human rights activists see the decision as an important victory in their quest for justice and accountability. [UN Radio; Reuters]

African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Organizes Sensitization Conferences for National Judiciaries and News Media

November 19, 2013 IJRC civil society, domestic courts, international human rights

This week, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) is hosting two conferences at its seat in Arusha, Tanzania in an effort to increase awareness of the Court’s functions and activities. From November 18 to 20, the Court will organize a Continental Judicial Dialogue to bring together members from various institutions of the African human rights system, chief

El Salvador Allows Caesarean, but Not Abortion, to Save Life of Pregnant Woman Granted Provisional Measures by IACtHR

June 5, 2013 IJRC domestic courts, health, Inter-American System, interim measures, international human rights, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life

On May 29, 2013, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (the Court) granted provisional measures ordering El Salvador to take all necessary measures to protect the life and personal integrity of “Beatriz,” an ill, pregnant 22-year-old Salvadoran woman, in effect mandating termination of her pregnancy. I/A Court H.R., Matter of B. Provisional Measures. Judgment of May 29, 2013, para. 17.