international humanitarian law – Page 7 – International Justice Resource Center

New United Nations Report Details Human Rights Abuses by Militias in Libya’s Ongoing Armed Conflict

September 9, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, property, security & rule of law, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council

Last week, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) published a joint report providing an overview of human rights abuses committed in Libya from May through August 2014, amid ongoing fighting among militias for control of Benghazi and Tripoli. See UNSMIL & OHCHR, Overview of Violations of International Human Rights

Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, Minister of Human Rights for Iraq during the special session on Iraq of the Human Rights Council. Credit: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

UN Human Rights Council Requests Investigation into Islamic State’s Human Rights Abuses in Iraq

September 3, 2014 IJRC discrimination, freedom of religion, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its 22nd special session this week to address human rights violations committed by the Islamic State and associated groups, which have been accused of mass atrocities as they move to take territory and eliminate minority groups in Iraq and neighboring countries. [OHCHR; Amnesty] The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution requesting the

ECCC Sentences Former Khmer Rouge Leaders to Life Imprisonment for Crimes Against Humanity, Marking the Latest Convictions of High-Level Officials by an Internationalized Criminal Tribunal

August 13, 2014 IJRC Asia, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, ICTR, ICTY, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, transitional justice

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) last week issued its first convictions against former senior Khmer Rouge leaders, finding Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan guilty of crimes against humanity committed during the Khmer Rouge’s rule in the 1970s. [ECCC Press Release] The convictions, part of only the second set of charges to be resolved by the

UN Human Rights Council Establishes Commission of Inquiry for the Occupied Palestinian Territory as Civilian Deaths and Displacement Continue

July 29, 2014 IJRC international human rights, international humanitarian law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council

In a special session convened last week to address the escalating violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, the UN Human Rights Council resolved to establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate “all violations” of international humanitarian law and human rights law committed in the context of armed conflict in the region since June 13, 2014. See UN

UN Human Rights Committee Invites Feedback on Draft General Comment No. 35 on the Rights to Liberty and Security of Person

April 14, 2014 IJRC civil society, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, security & rule of law, UN treaty bodies

During its 110th session last month, the United Nations Human Rights Committee concluded its first reading of Draft General Comment No. 35 on Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects the right to liberty and security of person, including the freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. The Committee invites interested stakeholders to submit

UN Human Rights Committee Issues Concluding Observations on State Reports of Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and the United States

April 3, 2014 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

The UN Human Rights Committee held its 110th session from March 10 to 28 to consider the State reports of Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and the United States of America. Following the session, the Committee released its concluding observations, detailing key concerns and recommendations for these States’ improved implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

DR Congo Parliament Approves New Amnesty Law for Insurgency and Other Crimes, as Part of Agreement with M23 Rebel Group

February 10, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, International Criminal Court, international human rights, international humanitarian law, transitional justice

The parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has approved legislation granting amnesty for acts of insurgency, acts of war, and political offenses, while excluding amnesty for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. [UN News Centre] This amnesty proposal originated as part of the December 2013 agreement to end fighting between the DRC army and the M23

With Đorđević Appeals Judgment, ICTY Concludes Final Case Concerning Kosovo

January 29, 2014 IJRC ICTY, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law

On January 27, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) confirmed Vlastimir Đorđević’s conviction in relation to crimes committed by Serbian forces against Albanians, during the conflict in Kosovo. [ICTY: Appeal Judgment Summary] It partially granted appeals raised by both the prosecution and defense, reducing Đorđević’s sentence from 27 to 18 years. This judgment

UN Establishes Commission of Inquiry and Independent Expert on Central African Republic, as Widespread Human Rights Violations Continue

January 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures

Amid ongoing sectarian violence in the Central African Republic, including reported war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations has established two expert mechanisms to monitor the human rights situation, but has so far stopped short of authorizing a UN peacekeeping mission to support the French and African Union troops already in the country. Hundreds have been killed and

Four Arrested for Witness Tampering in International Criminal Court Trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba

December 3, 2013 IJRC International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law

On November 23 and 24, four individuals were arrested on charges of corruptly influencing witnesses in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case of The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo (ICC-01/05-01/08). [ICC Press Release: Bemba Case] The accused, together with Jean-Pierre Bemba, are alleged to have procured false evidence and testimony in Mr. Bemba’s trial on charges of crimes against humanity