Requiring Operation to Correct Sex on Birth Certificate Violates Rights

On April 6, 2017, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that France’s requirement that two transgender applicants first undergo an irreversible identity change through an operation or sterilizing treatment in order to correct their “sex” designation on their birth certificates violated Article 8 (right to respect for private life) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECtHR

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Following Three Decades of Isolation, Morocco Rejoins African Union

After more than 30 years of separation, Morocco has officially been admitted back in to the African Union (AU), the continent’s largest intergovernmental organization. [New York Times; Reuters] Morocco quit the African Union’s predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, in 1984 after the regional bloc officially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) as a member. [BBC: Morocco] After a

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ECtHR Allows Czech Law Prohibiting Midwife Assistance in Home Births

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held on November 15 that a Czech law prohibiting the assistance of midwives during home births does not violate a mother’s right to respect for private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). See ECtHR, Dubská and Krejzová v. Czech Republic [GC],

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News Clips- August 12, 2016

International Criminal Law Nada Kiswanson, a permanent representative at the International Criminal Court who works on evidence of war crimes in Palestine, has received death threats. [MEMO] The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh issued sentences to eight individuals for crimes against humanity. [Jurist] German investigators have identified eight individuals who they suspect of war crimes during the Nazi era. [The

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RightsCon Silicon Valley 2016: Intersection of Human Rights and Technology

RightsCon, an annual conference on technology and human rights, took place in San Francisco this year with three days of panel discussions. The conference brings together human rights defenders, lawyers, engineers, government officials, corporate representatives, and technologists to discuss technology’s benefits as a tool for protecting human rights and its pitfalls as a catalyst for rights abuses. The conference was

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Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy Presents First Report

The newly appointed Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, presented his first report at the 31st regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, outlining the priorities for his mandate, including clarifying the legal standards and a thematic focus on online privacy. See Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph A. Cannataci,

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