The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted 33 resolutions during its 33rd session, including to create one new independent expert mandate to monitor violence against LGBT persons and extending or renewing the mandates of eight other expert bodies. [OHCHR] The Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental group that tracks human rights conditions in the UN Member States, is responsible for creating
Read moreCategory: economic, social & cultural rights
News Clips- July 22, 2016
Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society A car bomb in Kiev killed a journalist who was often critical of the government leaders in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. [The Guardian] Four Kenyan police officers were charged with the murder of human rights defender, Willie Kimani. [The Jurist] In the midst of anti-government demonstrations, several armed men have been holding policemen as
Read moreNews Clips- July 15, 2016
Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Civil society organizations called for the release of Bahraini Human Rights defender, Nabeel Rajab, ahead of the start of his trial this week. [FIDH Press Release] Evan Mawarire, the organizer of recent protests in Zimbabwe, has been charged with inciting public disorder. [The Guardian] A pride parade scheduled to take place in Beersheba, Israel was
Read moreJuly 2016: UN and European Bodies Meet, IACHR Session Canceled
During July 2016, the European Committee of Social Rights and the United Nations human rights treaty bodies focused on civil and political rights, discrimination against women, and torture will convene to review States’ compliance with their treaty obligations. Additionally, the UN experts on freedom of assembly and association and on the rights of persons with disabilities will carry out country visits
Read moreNews Clips- June 24, 2016
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Nobel Laureate, Auun San Suu Kyi, arrived in Thailand on Thursday where she is expected to lobby for the rights of migrant workers. [The Guardian] Over 2,000 police have been deployed in Paris in preparation of protests over new labour legislation. Extra precautions have been taken in light of the last set of protests on
Read moreNews Clips- June 17, 2016
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) heard from civil society organizations on adherence to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by the United Kingdom, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Angola. [OHCHR Press Release] As the French government debated a new labor bill that would ease restrictions on
Read moreVenezuela Implements Emergency Rule Amid Protests, Food Shortages
Over the past weeks, Venezuelan citizens have reacted to a deteriorating economic situation and food shortages through protests and an effort to recall President Nicolas Maduro, while the State has responded by declaring a rights-restricting state of emergency and cracking down on dissent. [Vice News; IACHR Press Release: Detentions] At a recent rally, on June 7, 2016, hundreds of Venezuelan
Read moreJune 2016: Human Rights Bodies’ Sessions, Hearings, and Country Visits
During the month of June 2016, supranational human rights bodies’ activities will include discussion of broad human rights concerns, assessment of specific States’ practices, and visits to three countries. Two political organs, the United Nations Human Rights Council and Organization of American States General Assembly, will convene to debate issues of concern to their Member States; the latter is also
Read moreWHO Issues Guidelines on Rights-Based Treatment of FGM Survivors
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new report to help medical practitioners engage in a human-rights-based approach toward managing and treating health complications associated with or caused by female genital mutilation (FGM). See World Health Organization, WHO Guidelines on the Management of Health Complications from Female Genital Mutilation (2016). The guidelines identify the human rights implications of FGM,
Read moreDeterioration of Rights Environment in Turkey Violates International Obligations
Human rights experts and civil society groups have issued repeated calls for Turkey to address the ongoing deterioration of the rights environment in the country amidst a failed Kurdish peace process, a sharp escalation of violent anti-terrorism operations, border guards’ attacks against Syrian refugees, and a severe crackdown on journalists and political dissidents. [Washington Post; CPJ] In a statement delivered
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