The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has launched both print and online collections of its leading judgments, decisions, and advisory opinions since 1998. Although the Court processes a high volume of applications and issued judgments in respect of 1,678 applications in 2012, the collections only focus on the Court’s most significant decisions interpreting the standards of the European Convention
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UN Confirms Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria and Urges Security Council Action, as Syria Joins Chemical Weapons Convention
Following UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s formal announcement on Saturday of Syria’s accession to the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), the United States and Russia revealed their joint Framework for the Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons. The concurrent release of a UN report containing
Read moreUN Human Rights Commissioner Reviews Pressing Concerns in Opening Statement at the UN Human Rights Council’s 24th Session
On the first day of the Human Rights Council’s 24th Regular Session, held in Geneva from September 9 to 27, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay identified a broad range of human rights concerns in her opening statement. She discussed both emerging issues and ongoing human rights violations throughout the world while paying specific attention to the “appalling situation” in Syria.
Read moreExtraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: UN-Appointed Prosecutor Resigns and Staff Strikes Due to Unpaid Salaries
Andrew Cayley, the UN-appointed co-prosecutor for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), will resign from his position after four years of service, citing personal reasons. “I wish the court well, and I certainly hope that some of the immediate financial issues the court faces can be resolved to allow the caseload to be completed in an orderly and timely
Read moreUN Commission of Inquiry Hears Compelling Witness Testimony in Hearings on Human Rights Conditions in North Korea
The curtain of secrecy enshrouding one of the world’s most isolationist States, North Korea, is being partially lifted this week through the testimony of more than 30 witnesses, including several who have fled the country, at public hearings held by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Yesterday, survivors of North Korean prison
Read moreAdvisory Committee and Working Group on Communications Meet in Advance of UN Human Rights Council's 24th Session
As advocates prepare to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 24th Session, to be held in Geneva from September 9 to 27, two of the Council’s subsidiary bodies will be in session this month. The Advisory Committee will convene to make advances in the study of topics of interest identified by the Council, and the Working Group on Communications
Read moreEuropean Court of Human Rights’ Updated Country Fact Sheets Present Detailed Portrait of State-Specific Jurisprudence & Caseload
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced yesterday that it has updated its country-specific Factsheets to include new information on pending and resolved cases, as well as its caseload statistics. This State-specific information provides valuable insights into the types of human rights problems being raised before the Court in each Council of Europe Member State, the nature and effectiveness of victims’ and advocates’ engagement
Read moreCalifornia Prisoners Continue Hunger Strike to Protest Long-Term Isolation, as Human Rights Bodies Urge Reform
In a press release published on July 18, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed its concern regarding the causes behind an organized hunger strike taking place in prisons throughout California. The hunger strike, which began July 8, was organized to protest solitary confinement usage and conditions throughout the state’s prisons. 4,527 inmates are currently being held in solitary
Read moreUN Working Group Finds Guantanamo Detainee’s Continued Detention to be Arbitrary, Recommends Release
Ranjana Natarajan contributes this guest post on a recent notable decision by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding a complaint presented by Guantanamo Bay detainee Obaidullah, who was represented before the Working Group by the University of Texas School of Law‘s National Security Clinic and Human Rights Clinic.
Read moreInternational Community Urges Egyptian Authorities to Respect Rule of Law and Human Rights, amid Mixed Reactions to President’s Ouster
Immediately following the military-led ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, and amidst clashes between authorities and protesters, supranational bodies urged all parties involved to respect human rights and adhere to the rule of law. Morsi, an Islamist politician elected in June 2012 following the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, faced increasing public opposition as he expanded executive
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