The General Conference of the International Labour Organization adopted Recommendation 204, which aims to promote the transition from informal to formal economies worldwide, on June 12, 2015 at the 104th Session of the International Labour Conference. See International Labour Conference, Recommendation 204, Concerning the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy, 104th Session, Geneva, 12 June 2015. The recommendation passed with
Read more
The 109th Ordinary Session of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) began on June 18 and concluded on July 1, 2015, in San Jose, Costa Rica. During this session, the Court publicly heard two cases, Chinchilla Sandoval and Others v. Guatemala and Yarce and Others v. Colombia. The first case concerned the ill-treatment, followed by the death, of a diabetic woman
Read more
During the fall of 2014, at each of their respective sessions, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), and the Committee Against Torture (CAT) adopted key decisions on topics including the definition of disability; enforced disappearances; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; juvenile life imprisonment;
Read more
This week, the Human Rights Committee will commence its 114th session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session will take place from June 29 to July 24, during which time the Committee will review the State reports of Canada, France, Macedonia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. The Committee will also review reports submitted by civil society organizations and national human
Read more
On June 16, 2015, at the 45th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C., Member States elected four commissioners to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and four judges to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). [IACHR Press Release] These eight positions comprise more than half of the total
Read more
On May 12, 2015, in Identoba and Others v. Georgia, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Georgian authorities failed to protect participants in a 2012 peaceful march marking the International Day Against Homophobia from homophobic attacks, even after agreeing to provide police protection. The Court further held that authorities failed to properly investigate the incident and, particularly, the homophobic
Read more
On May 28, 2015 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) released its judgment in Y v. Slovenia, holding that the State violated European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) with its prolonged investigation and criminal proceedings concerning the applicant’s complaint of sexual abuse, as well as Article 8 (right to respect
Read more
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) commenced its 55th session in Geneva, Switzerland on June 1. During this session, which will end on June 19, the Committee will review the State reports of Chile, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Thailand, Uganda, and Venezuela concerning the States’ implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). During the
Read more
The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) adopted Resolution 303 on the right to rehabilitation for victims of torture during its 56th Ordinary Session, held from April 21 – May 7, 2015, in Banjul, the Gambia. See ACommHPR, Res. 303: Resolution on the Right to Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture, 56th Ordinary Session, 21 April- 7 May, 2015.
Read more
On May 22, 2015, David Kaye, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (Special Rapporteur), submitted his annual report to the Human Rights Council. His report evaluates whether the rights to privacy and freedom of opinion and expression protect secure online communication by methods including encryption and anonymity. Secondly, his
Read more