liberty & security of person – Page 19 – International Justice Resource Center

Chadian Court Initiates First Trial against Habré-Era Security Agents

November 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, International Court of Justice, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, torture

November 14 marked the start of the trial against 26 former security agents accused of committing murder, torture, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, assault, and battery during former dictator Hissène Habré’s rule in Chad from 1982 to 1990. [Reuters; HRW: Alleged Habré Accomplices] Advocates hope that the trial, set to take place before national courts in N’Djaména, Chad, will deliver a measure

IACHR to Assist Mexico in Investigating 43 Students’ Disappearance

November 19, 2014 IJRC civil society, crime & impunity, enforced disappearance, Inter-American System, interim measures, torture, UN Special Procedures

In response to the disappearance of 43 student protesters in the Mexican state of Guerrero, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has signed a tripartite agreement with the government of Mexico and a group of nongovernmental organizations representing the student victims and their families to provide technical assistance with the search for the students, the investigation and subsequent actions

UN Treaty Bodies Clarify State Obligations Regarding Detention, Harmful Practices, and Refugee Women

November 10, 2014 IJRC children, discrimination, immigration & asylum, liberty & security of person, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

Three United Nations (UN) human rights treaty bodies have released new interpretations concerning the rights to liberty and security of the person; harmful practices impacting women and girls; and the effect of gender on the refugee status, asylum, nationality, and statelessness of women. These general comments and general recommendation flesh out States parties’ obligations under three UN human rights treaties. The

ECtHR: Ukrainian Opposition Supporter’s Detention for Symbolic Act of Protest Violated Rights

November 4, 2014 IJRC democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, European System, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association

In a judgment released last week, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously held that Ukraine violated the rights to freedom of expression and an appeal in criminal matters when, in 2011, it detained Ms. Galyna Shvydka for ten days under the charge of petty hooliganism due to her act of political protest in support of the opposition party. See

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Holds Hearings on Racism in U.S. Criminal Justice System, Social Protests in Mexico, the Internet, and Other Human Rights Issues

October 29, 2014 IJRC civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association, women's rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is holding its 153rd session from October 23 to November 7, 2014, with public hearings on October 27, 28, 30 and 31. The hearings allow both States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide the IACHR with information and context on 53 human rights issues, ranging from the impact of mining operations on human

In the Case of Dominican and Haitian People Expelled v. the Dominican Republic, IACtHR Finds Multitude of Human Rights Violations

October 28, 2014 IJRC children, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, interim measures, liberty & security of person

Last week, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights released its opinion in Case of Dominican and Haitian People Expelled v. the Dominican Republic, where it held that the State’s discrimination, detention, and mass expulsion of individuals of Haitian descent violated the rights to: juridical personality, nationality, a name, personal liberty, privacy, fair trial, judicial protection, equal protection before the law,

UN Human Rights Bodies Urge Venezuela to Release Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez, Ensure Protesters Are Not Arbitrarily Detained or Prosecuted

October 23, 2014 IJRC due process & judicial protection, Inter-American System, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association

On Monday, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein voiced concern over the detention of a Venezuelan opposition leader, Leopoldo López, and more than 69 others who were involved in months-long public protests that began in February 2014 in response to the country’s ailing economy, high rate of violence, and sharp political divisions. “The prolonged

In Baytar v. Turkey, European Court of Human Rights Holds Criminal Defendants Have the Right to an Interpreter during Investigatory Proceedings

October 15, 2014 IJRC due process & judicial protection, European System, liberty & security of person, security & rule of law

Earlier this week, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously held that a criminal defendant has the right to free assistance from a translator during criminal investigatory proceedings if language barriers prevent the accused from having a full understanding of the consequences of waiving his or her rights to keep silent and to legal assistance. See ECtHR, Baytar v. Turkey,

New Advisory Opinion and Country Visit by the Inter-American Human Rights Bodies Clarify the Rights of Migrant Children

October 8, 2014 IJRC children, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, liberty & security of person

Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights released an Advisory Opinion defining the scope of States’ obligations to protect the rights of migrant children and families. See I/A Court H.R., Rights and Guarantees of Children in the Context of Migration and/or in Need of International Protection, Advisory Opinion OC-21/14, 19 August 2014. State Parties to the American Convention on

In Hassan v. United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights Finds Extra-territorial Jurisdiction over Iraqi Detainee and Examines Interplay between Geneva Conventions and European Human Rights Obligations

September 17, 2014 IJRC European System, extrajudicial executions, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention

On September 16, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its Grand Chamber judgment in Hassan v. United Kingdom, which involved the detention of an Iraqi national, Tarek Hassan, by the British army in Iraq in 2003. The applicant alleged that the United Kingdom was responsible for Tarek’s unlawful detention, ill-treatment, and death. The key issues before the Court were whether