On July 23, 2015, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) adopted a general recommendation on women’s access to justice, noting that the right of access to justice for women is essential to the realization of all the rights in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). See Committee
Read moreCategory: liberty & security of person
Migration Crisis: Recent Developments, Human Rights Standards, and European Court Decision
Political upheaval and human rights violations in parts of Africa and the Middle East, particularly in Eritrea, Kosovo, and Syria, are increasing migration flows to Europe at an unprecedented rate. While the European Union (EU) received approximately 626,000 applications for asylum in 2014, Germany alone is expected to receive 800,000 applications this year. [Financial Times: Germany] Europe has not yet
Read moreInter-American Court of Human Rights Holds 53rd Extraordinary Session
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) held its 53rd Extraordinary Session in Honduras, which began on August 24 and concluded on August 29, 2015. During this session the Court held public hearings in two cases: Quispialaya Vilcapoma v. Peru and Ángel Alberto Duque v. Colombia. The Court also held a private hearing concerning compliance on the part of Honduras with sentences
Read moreAfrican Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Developing Right to Life General Comment
In June 2015, the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings (Working Group) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) met in Kigali, Rwanda to develop a General Comment on Article 4 (right to life) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, also known as the Banjul Charter (Charter). This meeting
Read moreUN Committee Reviews Disability Records of 6 States and European Union
On August 17, 2015 the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) commenced its 14th session in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, which will end on September 4, the Committee will review the reports of Brazil, the European Union, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Qatar, and Ukraine and adopt concluding observations. The Committee will also review reports submitted by
Read moreIACHR Report Highlights Human Rights Violations at Guantanamo and Urges Closure
On August 5, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report “Towards the Closure of Guantanamo,” which examines the human rights situation of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Towards the Closure of Guantanamo (Report), 2015. The report concludes that detainees are subject to indefinite detention; torture and
Read moreCommittee Against Torture Reviews States’ Records of Iraq, Slovakia, and Switzerland
The Committee Against Torture (CAT) is currently holding its 55th Session in Geneva, which began on July 27 and will continue through August 14. According to the Committee’s agenda, CAT is considering the State reports of Iraq, Slovakia, and Switzerland. During the session, the Committee will meet with representatives from each State regarding the State’s report to CAT. The Committee will also review
Read moreCommission of Inquiry and Special Rapporteur on Eritrea: Mandates Extended
On June 4, 2015, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (Commission) issued a report containing findings of “systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations” that might rise to the level of crimes against humanity committed by the State of Eritrea. [OHCHR Press Release: UN Inquiry] See UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Commission of
Read moreCEDAW Committee Reviews 8 States’ Records on Discrimination against Women
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) is currently holding its 61st session from July 6 to July 24, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, the CEDAW Committee has been reviewing State reports submitted by Bolivia, Croatia, Gambia, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Spain, and Vietnam, on their implementation of the
Read moreIACtHR 109th Ordinary Session Addresses Custodial Death in Guatemala, Abuses of Colombian Human Rights Defenders
The 109th Ordinary Session of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) began on June 18 and concluded on July 1, 2015, in San Jose, Costa Rica. During this session, the Court publicly heard two cases, Chinchilla Sandoval and Others v. Guatemala and Yarce and Others v. Colombia. The first case concerned the ill-treatment, followed by the death, of a diabetic woman
Read more