The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has published a new practical guide on access to education in the context of COVID-19, the latest in a string of recent thematic publications and its second practical guide on the pandemic. [IACHR Press Release] The IACHR Rapid and Integrated Response Coordination Unit (SACROI) produced the guide in collaboration with the IACHR special
Read more
In January, regional and United Nations bodies will convene – mostly virtually – to continue their oversight of States’ implementation of their human rights commitments. The bodies in session are the European Court of Human Rights, European Committee of Social Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Working Group on the Universal Periodic
Read more
On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognizing the inherent dignity and fundamental rights of all human beings. In May of that year, the countries of the Americas adopted a similar text, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. Both instruments reflect an understanding that life lacks
Read more
On December 4, 2020, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) published and delivered an advisory opinion declaring national laws that criminalize vagrancy to be incompatible with human rights standards. [AfCHPR Press Release] The opinion concludes that laws that essentially criminalize homelessness, poverty, or unemployment are overly broad and allow for abuse. The Court held that such laws
Read more
In December 2020, various regional and United Nations bodies will convene, virtually, to continue their oversight of States’ implementation of their human rights commitments. The bodies in session will include the African, European, and Inter-American human rights oversight bodies; the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Read more
Following ratifications by Mexico and Argentina, the Escazú Agreement will enter into force 90 days from when both States have deposited their ratifications. The treaty is the first to address environmental contamination, natural resource governance, and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. It recognizes a human right to live in a healthy environment, protects environmental defenders, and ensures
Read more
In November 2020, various regional and United Nations bodies will convene – mostly virtually – to continue their oversight of States’ implementation of their human rights commitments. The bodies in session will include the African and Inter-American human rights courts, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Human Rights Committee, and the Committee
Read more
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
Read more
In the last several weeks, as the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh reignited and intensified, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has granted two sets of interim measures. The Court called on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and all States “directly or indirectly involved” to avoid committing or contributing to violations of civilians’ human rights. [ECtHR Press Release] Other international bodies have also
Read more
On September 28, 2020, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) announced the publication of its revised Rules of Court, which entered into force on September 25. [AfCHPR Press Release] The new Rules replace those that had been in place since June 2010. See AfCHPR, Rules of Court (1 Sept. 2020). Currently, the 2020 Rules are available in
Read more