Category: human rights defenders

IACtHR: Argentina Responsible for Racial Profiling, Death of Black Man

conditions of detention, discrimination, equal protection, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person

In a new judgment, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) condemned the use of racial profiling in the 1996 arrest of José Delfín Acosta Martínez, a Black man who then died after being badly injured in police custody. [IACtHR Press Release (Spanish)] The Court called attention to the general context of racial discrimination, police violence, and racial profiling in

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civil society meets with IACHR

New Report: Civil Society Access to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

assembly and association, civil society, human rights defenders, IJRC Updates, Inter-American System, international human rights, publications and resources, regional human rights protection

The International Justice Resource Center (IJRC) has published its second report in an ongoing series examining the barriers to civil society’s engagement with supranational human rights oversight bodies. See IJRC, Civil Society Access to International Oversight Bodies: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (2019). This edition analyzes the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a principal autonomous organ of the Organization

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Human Rights Day 2018: Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70

human rights defenders, IJRC Updates, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the seminal proclamation adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. See UN General Assembly, Resolution 217 A(III), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948. The UDHR’s adoption followed that of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, making it

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Guatemala and Nicaragua Reject UN Human Rights Monitors Amid Turmoil

assembly and association, civil society, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, health, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, security & rule of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council

Two Central American governments ended their cooperation with the United Nations on specific human rights initiatives and sought to exclude UN representatives from their territories in late August 2018. In Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales announced on August 31 he would not renew the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) when it expires in 2019 and barred

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CAL representative addresses ACHPR

African Commission Bows to Political Pressure, Withdraws NGO’s Observer Status

African System, civil society, discrimination, human rights defenders, international human rights, regional human rights protection

On August 8, 2018, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) stripped the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) of its observer status following decisions by the African Union Executive Council that called on the ACHPR to consider “African values” when reviewing applications for observer status. [CAL: Denied] The ACHPR’s decision to withdraw CAL’s observer status comes after years

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Consequences of the U.S. Departure from the Human Rights Council

civil society, human rights defenders, international human rights, UN Human Rights Council, Universal system

Civil society and other stakeholders warned of consequences to human rights defenders and victims of rights abuses when the United States formally announced last month its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council. [HRW: Blame; HRW: Oppose; OHCHR Press Release: Dialogue] The decision – effective June 19, 2018, over a year before the end of the State’s

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UN Experts, Civil Society Welcome FIFA’s New Complaint Mechanism

corporate accountability, human rights defenders, international human rights, thought, expression & association

On May 29, 2018, the international governing body for soccer, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), launched a complaint mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, garnering praise from United Nations experts and civil society members. [FIFA Press Release: Mechanism; OHCHR Press Release; CPJ Press Release; HRW: Daily Brief] The new complaint mechanism

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May 2018: UN Treaty Bodies, UPR, and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session

African System, armed conflict, children, civil society, corporate accountability, discrimination, enforced disappearance, equal protection, European System, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, right to life, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

In the month of May, several universal and regional bodies will be in session to assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through interactive dialogues, the consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, and the review of individual complaints. Four United Nations treaty bodies will meet throughout May to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related

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