torture – Page 8 – International Justice Resource Center

Reactions to Refugee Crisis May Violate States’ International Legal Obligations

November 25, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, security & rule of law, torture, Universal system

The ongoing civil war in Syria has uprooted more than in 4.2 million Syrian refugees and 7.6 million internally displaced persons, and these numbers are predicted to increase. [UNHCR Press Release] A survey of individuals at a UNHCR refugee camp in Turkey revealed that more than half of them left Syria because it is too dangerous to stay, often noting

International Criminal Court Reports on Preliminary Examinations as States Parties Convene

November 18, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, torture, UN Security Council

On November 12, 2015, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), published her annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (2015), which details the preliminary examination activities conducted by her office between November 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015. These included two situations – Georgia and Honduras – in which the Office of the Prosecutor (OPT) has concluded its

Burundi: International and Regional Bodies Urge Dialogue, Fear Mass Violence

November 17, 2015 IJRC African System, armed conflict, civil society, democracy & political rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council

Amid an ongoing human rights and political crisis in which hundreds have lost their lives, civil society and human rights bodies are calling on Burundian authorities to avoid inciting violence, put a stop to attacks against advocates and journalists, and cooperate with monitoring efforts. On November 12, 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution condemning the

Six United Nations Human Rights Bodies Meet in November 2015

November 11, 2015 IJRC civil society, discrimination, international human rights, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, women's rights

During the month of November 2015, six United Nations human rights mechanisms will meet in Geneva, Switzerland. The UN Human Rights Committee, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee), Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, Committee Against Torture (CAT), Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT), and the Committee on

Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Special Rapporteur Highlights Extraterritoriality of Torture Convention Obligations

October 29, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, due process & judicial protection, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, torture, UN Special Procedures

On October 20, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, presented his seventeenth expert’s report to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly during its 70th Session, in New York. [Anti-Torture Initiative] The report addresses the extraterritorial obligations that arise under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman,

IACHR to Hold Hearings on Four Cases, 53 Rights Topics This Week

October 19, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, privacy, property, reproductive and sexual rights, thought, expression & association, torture, women's rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is holding its 156th session from October 17 to 28, 2015 in Washington, D.C. [IACHR Press Release] The IACHR will conduct public hearings in four cases on its docket, and receive information from States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the 53 human rights issues, ranging from the human rights situation of LGBTI people,

Migration Crisis: Recent Developments, Human Rights Standards, and European Court Decision

September 4, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, family, immigration & asylum, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, torture, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

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

Recent Human Rights Decisions Address Disability Discrimination, Non-Refoulement, and Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences

July 1, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, family, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

During the fall of 2014, at each of their respective sessions, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), and the Committee Against Torture (CAT) adopted key decisions on topics including the definition of disability; enforced disappearances; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; juvenile life imprisonment;

African Commission Adopts Resolution on Right to Rehabilitation for Torture Victims

June 10, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, international human rights, reparations, torture, transitional justice

The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) adopted Resolution 303 on the right to rehabilitation for victims of torture during its 56th Ordinary Session, held from April 21 – May 7, 2015, in Banjul, the Gambia. See ACommHPR, Res. 303: Resolution on the Right to Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture, 56th Ordinary Session, 21 April- 7 May, 2015.

Inter-American Court Holds 108^th Ordinary Session and 52^nd Extraordinary Session

April 14, 2015 IJRC crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, family, Inter-American System, international human rights, reparations, thought, expression & association, torture, transitional justice, women's rights

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is currently holding its 108th Ordinary Session, which began on April 13 and will conclude on April 17, 2015 in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will be holding its 52nd Special Session from April 20 to April 24, 2015 in Cartagena, Colombia.