international human rights – Page 58 – International Justice Resource Center

In I.K. v. Austria, ECtHR Prohibits Deportation of Russian National Due to Risk of Collective Punishment against Those with Ties to Alleged Chechen Separatists

April 3, 2013 IJRC immigration & asylum, international human rights, liberty & security of person, security & rule of law

Last week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced its decision in the case of I.K. v. Austria, app. no. 2964/12, Judgment of 28 March 2013, in which the court considered the conventionality of Austria’s denial of asylum to a Russian national of Chechen origin whose father had worked for former Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov. The court held, unanimously,

UN Votes to Adopt Arms Trade Treaty, Restricting Export of Weapons that May Be Used for Human Rights Violations

April 2, 2013 IJRC international human rights, international humanitarian law, right to life, security & rule of law, UN General Assembly

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to adopt an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on April 2, 2013. The treaty regulates international trade of conventional arms, and aims to “[contribute] to international and regional peace, security and stability.” ATT, art. 1. Among other requirements, States Parties must prohibit the international transfer of arms whenever the government has knowledge that

Open for Comments: Draft UN Principles on Remedies for Trafficked Persons

April 2, 2013 IJRC children, international human rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

The UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, recently released the Draft Basic Principles on the Right to an Effective Remedy for Trafficked Persons. The Principles address both legal and procedural measures that States should take to support and assist survivors of trafficking, with attention to the particular vulnerability of trafficked children.

UN Human Rights Council Concludes 22nd Session with Resolutions on North Korea, Mali, Syria, and Human Rights Defenders

March 27, 2013 IJRC human rights defenders, international human rights, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal Periodic Review

The United Nations Human Rights Council concluded its twenty-second regular session last week after adopting a number of decisions, statements and resolutions to address pressing concerns in a handful of countries, advance its work on a range of human rights issues, and call for greater protection of human rights defenders. [OHCHR] Among other notable decisions during the four-week session, the

UN Commission on the Status of Women Concludes with Recommendations to Eradicate Violence against Women and Girls

March 20, 2013 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, international human rights, reproductive and sexual rights, UN Economic and Social Council, women's rights

The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) concluded last week with its adoption of a historic set of conclusions, agreed to by 131 States, on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. [UN News Centre] The agreed conclusions, which were drafted with the participation of civil society, urge governments and

European Committee of Social Rights Hears Complaints Involving Trade Union Rights, Access to Abortion, Social Security, and Discrimination during its 263rd Session

March 19, 2013 IJRC discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, education, European System, family, health, international human rights, labor rights, reproductive and sexual rights

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 263rd Session from March 18-23, 2013, during which it will hear thirteen collective complaints and examine States’ reports on compliance with certain articles of the European Social Charter. [ECSR Agenda] Additionally, the Committee will hold a meeting about non-accepted provisions of the Charter and exchange views with the Commissioner for

ICC Prosecutor Withdraws Charges against Muthaura: Background and Implications for Kenya Cases

March 13, 2013 IJRC International Criminal Court, international human rights

In a written and video statement made public on Monday, March 11, 2013, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced she would be withdrawing all charges against Francis Muthaura arising out of Kenya’s 2007 and 2008 post-election violence. Muthaura, Kenya’s former civil service chief, was accused of committing crimes against humanity, including murder and rape. Bensouda’s decision marks the first time charges have been withdrawn

Bangladesh Faces Violence, Controversy Over International Crimes Tribunal Convictions

March 12, 2013 IJRC domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, international criminal law, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals

Bangladesh has been marked by riots and violence, with more than 80 killed since January 21, 2013 due to conflict surrounding the International Crimes Tribunal’s recent convictions of members of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami political party on charges stemming from the its collaboration with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War, through which Bangladesh won independence. [The International] Since it began

UN Special Rapporteur Addresses Possible Torture in Healthcare

March 11, 2013 IJRC health, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Mr. Juan Méndez, presented last week a controversial report to the UN Human Rights Council asserting that certain acts under national healthcare systems may violate the Convention against Torture (CAT). Special Rapporteur Méndez recognized that the report may arguably extend beyond his mandate as traditionally defined and into the realm of the “right to health,”