The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) unanimously held on October 20 that Croatia violated a prisoner’s right to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment when it confined him in a cell measuring 2.62 square meters for 27 consecutive days. See ECtHR, Muršić v. Croatia [GC], no. 7334/13, ECHR 2016, Judgment of 20 October 2016,
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News Clips – October 28, 2016
Civil Society After recent protests in Argentina over the murder and rape of a teenage girl, two women who participated in the protest were murdered this week, causing civil society to argue that femicides and gender-based violence are on the rise. [Guardian] The police in South Africa this week used water canons, tear gas, and stun grenades against students protesting
Read moreNews Clips- October 21, 2016
Activities of International Bodies The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights started its 59th Ordinary Session this week and will review draft guidelines on the rights to freedom of association and assembly, as well as conduct reviews of States parties and hold additional discussions. [IJRC: Guidelines; IJRC: Sessions] The United Nations General Assembly recognized the 50th anniversary of the
Read moreUN Investigation Confirms Rights Abuses in Burundi, Recommends Increased Accountability
In response to the ongoing crisis in Burundi, the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) presented its final report to the Human Rights Council on September 27, 2016, which documented evidence of gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the government and its affiliates. [OHCHR Press Release] UNIIB was formed in light of increasing instability in Burundi, which was prompted
Read moreNews Clips- September 23, 2016
Refugees and Migrants The UN held the Summit for Refugees and Migrants on Monday and the United States President Barack Obama hosted the Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis on Tuesday. [IJRC; UN News Centre: Bold; UN News Centre: Integration] The International Justice Resource Center and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies are hosting a training on the
Read moreNews Clips- September 16, 2016
Migrants and Refugees Amnesty International reported that tens of thousands of refugees have been cut off from humanitarian aid for the last two months in an area between Syria and Jordan. [Al Jazeera] The hunger strike of a former Guantanamo detainee currently residing in Uruguay as a refugee prompted a judge this week to order a medical evaluation. [Washington Post]
Read moreNews Clips- September 2, 2016
Civil Society United Nations human rights experts showed concern for the harassment, detention, and torture of six human rights activists in Sudan who now may also face the death penalty. [OHCHR Press Release] With tens of millions of workers on strike in India, 150 million people were involved in protests on Friday. [Guardian] Girls at a high school in Pretoria,
Read moreNews Clips- August 19, 2016
Civil Society Ahead of a constitutional referendum scheduled for September, Azerbaijani authorities have arrested several activists critical of the government within the last week. [RSF] In order to make room for civil society members arrested after the coup, Turkey announced that it will release inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses from its prisons. [NYT] Following the recent re-election of Zambia’s president,
Read moreExtraordinary African Chambers Grants Reparations to Victims in Habré Case
Following a May 2016 conviction for crimes against humanity, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) issued an order on July 29 for Hissène Habré to pay monetary reparations to thousands of victims. The former president of Chad was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes including murder, summary executions, kidnapping, rape, and sexual slavery committed during his 1982 – 1990 rule. [Guardian] Although
Read moreNews Clips- August 5, 2016
Civil Society & Human Rights Defenders After a video revealed the harassment of aboriginal boys in detention in an Australian jail, Australians protested, demanding an investigation. [Al Jazeera] A human rights lawyer in China, Wang Yu, who was in detention for over a year, made a public confession this week that appeared scripted. [Washington Post] A court in Bahrain postponed
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