international human rights – Page 47 – International Justice Resource Center

UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression: 2014 Annual Report

June 8, 2015 IJRC civil society, corporate accountability, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, international human rights, privacy, thought, expression & association, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

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

Mandela Rules Adopted: Landmark Revisions Made to UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

June 3, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, UN Economic and Social Council, UN General Assembly

On May 22, 2015, the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) gathered in Vienna and adopted the Mandela Rules, which are revisions to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR), the leading international principles on the treatment of prisoners, which had not been updated since they were drafted in 1955. The Mandela Rules honor

CERD Rules that Korea’s Mandatory HIV/AIDS Testing for Foreign Employees Violates the Convention

June 1, 2015 IJRC civil society, discrimination, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, privacy, reparations, UN treaty bodies

On May 1, 2015, in L.G. v. Republic of Korea, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) ruled that mandatory HIV/AIDS and drug testing for foreign English teachers violated articles 2, 5, and 6 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). [UN News Center Press Release]. See Committee on the Elimination

IACHR Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression Issues 2014 Annual Report

May 27, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, women's rights

On May 7, 2015, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented its 2014 Annual Report, evaluating the state of freedom of expression in the Americas, to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS). [IACHR Press Release] See also Executive Summary of

Central African Republic Votes to Create New Hybrid Tribunal

May 21, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, civil society, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, International Criminal Court, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, UN Security Council

On April 22, 2015, the Central African Republic’s transitional parliament voted to adopt a law to create a Special Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed in the Central African Republic since 2003. In order for the Special Criminal Court to now be established, its acting president, Catherine Samba-Panza, must enact

ECtHR: Property Confiscation Legal When Serving Public Interest in Combating Corruption

May 19, 2015 IJRC due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, property

Last week, on May 12, 2015, in Gogitidze and Others v. Georgia, the European Court of Human Rights held that the confiscation of property from a former public official did not violate the European Convention on Human Rights. The applicants claimed that Georgia had violated their right to property under the First Protocol to the European Convention, and their right

14 States’ Human Rights Records Examined in Universal Periodic Review

May 14, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, interim measures, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, property, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, Universal Periodic Review, women's rights

The Human Rights Council is close to concluding its 22nd Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group which began on May 4 and will conclude on May 15, 2015 to examine 14 States’ human rights records. [OHCHR Press Release] During these Working Group discussions, UN Member States are reviewing the human rights practices of Belarus, Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia,

Inter-American Court to Rule on Anti-Gay Discrimination in Ecuador’s Military

May 12, 2015 IJRC discrimination, due process & judicial protection, Inter-American System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will have the opportunity to determine for the first time whether State regulations designed to uphold discipline within a military institution may punish sexual acts between persons of the same sex without violating the principle of equality and non-discrimination. In December 2014, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights filed an application to submit the

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Adopts Key Guidelines

May 7, 2015 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, UN Human Rights Council

During its 72nd regular session in Geneva, which was held from April 20th through 29th, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [hereinafter Working Group] adopted the final text of its draft “Basic Principles and Guidelines on Remedies and Procedures on the Right of Anyone Deprived of Their Liberty to Bring Proceedings Before a Court.” [OHCHR: Working Group] See

ECtHR: Armenia Violates NGO’s Freedom of Assembly in Prohibiting Commemorative March

May 5, 2015 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, European System, international human rights

On March 31, 2015 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) released its judgment in Helsinki Committee of Armenia v. Armenia, concerning the State’s denial of a non-governmental human rights organization’s (NGO) application to hold an event dedicated to mourning the death of a murder investigation witness at the police station. See ECtHR, Helsinki Committee of Armenia v. Armenia, no.