torture – Page 5 – International Justice Resource Center

First Older Persons’ Rights Convention Enters into Force in Americas

December 27, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, cultural rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, education, environmental rights, equal protection, European System, health, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

The Inter-American human rights system will soon welcome the entry into force of the world’s first binding convention on the rights of older persons. Costa Rica deposited its ratification of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons on December 12, 2016. [OAS Press Release; IACHR Press Release] Costa Rica is the second OAS Member State—following Uruguay—to

News Clips – December 23, 2016

December 23, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, privacy, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society This week, Human Rights Watch reported that police officers regularly mistreat prisoners in India through the use of torture and the failure to bring detainees before a judge soon after arrest. [Washington Post] On Wednesday, a civil society organization reported escalated violence against human rights defenders in Guatemala, including 14 murders and seven attempted murders this year. [FIDH]

Migrants Detained in Libya Face Serious Rights Abuses, UN Reports

December 19, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, education, health, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, torture, Universal system, women's rights

A new report from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights details rights abuses against migrants held in detention in Libya. Published on December 13, 2016, “Detained and dehumanized”: Report on Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants in Libya, summarizes information gathered from migrants held in detention centers that are mostly run

Experts Convene for Symposium on Torture Victims’ Right to Rehabilitation

December 15, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, regional human rights protection, reparations, right to life, torture, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) held a symposium in Mexico City last week entitled Delivering on the Promise of the Right to Rehabilitation that brought together over 300 people, including clinical professionals, lawyers, researchers, and policymakers, from around the world to discuss rehabilitation of torture survivors. [IRCT Press Release] The IRCT is a membership-based organization consisting of

News Clips- December 9, 2016

December 9, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, cultural rights, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, equal protection, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, ICTY, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

Civil Society This week, seven Tibetans in China were given prison sentences that ranged from five to 14 years. [HKFP] Egyptian authorities arrested a prominent human rights activist, Azza Soliman. [AI] Harsh winter weather forced demonstrators to temporarily evacuate the protest site at Standing Rock where they have been protesting the construction of a pipeline. [Washington Post] A Human Rights

ICC Releases Annual Report on Progress of Preliminary Examinations

December 6, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, torture, transitional justice

On November 14, the International Criminal Court (ICC) released its 2016 annual report on its pending preliminary investigations into alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide. [ICC Press Release] The report details the Court’s progress on the 10 situations being evaluated for possible investigation, including two examinations initiated during the reporting period of November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016

December 2016: United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session

November 30, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, children, civil society, corporate accountability, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, European System, family, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, massacres, migrants, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

In the month of December, various universal and regional bodies will be in session. Three United Nations treaty bodies will meet to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to torture, racial discrimination, and enforced disappearances. Seven UN special rapporteurs and one working group will conduct country visits, and three working groups will meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss

UN Working Group Releases Opinions on 21 Arbitrary Detention Cases

November 28, 2016 IJRC assembly and association, children, conditions of detention, economic, social & cultural rights, family, health, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recently released 21 opinions adopted during its August 2016 session, relating to 58 individuals in detention in 17 countries. [OHCHR Press Release] The opinions covered several topics within the WGAD’s mandate, including the treatment of minors in detention, the right to a fair trial, the rights to freedom of expression and

IACHR Publishes Standards on Rights in Context of Human Mobility

November 22, 2016 IJRC children, conditions of detention, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, property, regional human rights protection, torture

On November 4, 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a report that seeks to address the practical realities of those in the context of human mobility and lay out the legal standards that should govern Member States’ policies concerning migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, persons in need of complimentary protection, stateless persons, victims of human trafficking, and internally

UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

November 16, 2016 IJRC civil society, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, torture, UN treaty bodies

The Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) will host a conference celebrating its 10-year anniversary on Thursday November 17, 2016 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Geneva, Switzerland. See OHCHR, 10th Anniversary of OPCAT. At the conference, stakeholders are set to discuss the SPT’s added value and examples of