progressive development of law – International Justice Resource Center

UN Human Rights Committee Clarifies, Expands Guidance on Right to Life

November 20, 2018 IJRC death penalty, international human rights, progressive development of law, right to life, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has issued new legal guidance on the right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), expanding its interpretation of government obligations to protect reproductive rights and address climate change, among other topics. See Human Rights Committee, General comment No. 36 (2018) on article 6 of the

Inter-American Court: State Inaction on HIV Violated Progressive Realization Obligation

November 6, 2018 IJRC discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, Inter-American System, international human rights, progressive development of law, regional human rights protection

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) for the first time held a State responsible for violating the progressive realization principle, determining that Guatemala’s inaction to extend healthcare services to people with HIV/AIDS contravened its duty to progressively achieve the full realization of the right to health, among other violations. [IACtHR Press Release] In Cuscul Piraval et al v. Guatemala,

ACHPR Finds Botswana’s Secret Hanging of Prisoner Was Cruel Treatment

July 6, 2016 IJRC African System, conditions of detention, death penalty, due process & judicial protection, interim measures, international human rights, progressive development of law

A recent case involving capital punishment in Botswana required the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to consider the adequacy of appointed counsel and clemency procedures, hanging as a method of execution, the death row phenomenon, and whether notice is required prior to imposition of the death penalty. See ACommHPR, Interights & Ditshwanelo v. Botswana, Communication No. 319/06,

AfCHPR Hosts 2nd Continental Judicial Dialogue: “Connecting National and International Justice”

November 3, 2015 IJRC African System, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, judicial independence, progressive development of law

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR), European Union (EU), World Bank, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) are sponsoring the 2nd Continental Judicial Dialogue, entitled “Connecting National and International Justice” from November 4 to 6, 2015 in Arusha, Tanzania. The dialogue will bring together members of national, regional, and continental courts and human rights bodies

Mandela Rules Adopted: Landmark Revisions Made to UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

June 3, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, UN Economic and Social Council, UN General Assembly

On May 22, 2015, the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) gathered in Vienna and adopted the Mandela Rules, which are revisions to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR), the leading international principles on the treatment of prisoners, which had not been updated since they were drafted in 1955. The Mandela Rules honor

IACHR Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression Issues 2014 Annual Report

May 27, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, women's rights

On May 7, 2015, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented its 2014 Annual Report, evaluating the state of freedom of expression in the Americas, to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS). [IACHR Press Release] See also Executive Summary of

14 States’ Human Rights Records Examined in Universal Periodic Review

May 14, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, interim measures, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, property, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, Universal Periodic Review, women's rights

The Human Rights Council is close to concluding its 22nd Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group which began on May 4 and will conclude on May 15, 2015 to examine 14 States’ human rights records. [OHCHR Press Release] During these Working Group discussions, UN Member States are reviewing the human rights practices of Belarus, Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia,

IACtHR Publishes 2014 Annual Report

April 16, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, death penalty, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, property, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, women's rights

Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued its Annual Report 2014, summarizing the Court’s structure, jurisprudence, and activities throughout 2014. The Report discusses the Court’s functions, summarizes the status of cases before the Court, breaks down the Court’s budget, and describes additional activities the Court undertook in 2014. See Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Annual Report 2014. The

UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty Reports on Individual Access to Justice

November 12, 2012 IJRC crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, international human rights, progressive development of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

On November 5, U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, presented her annual report to the U.N. General Assembly. The Special Rapporteur highlights the obstacles faced by individuals living in extreme poverty when they attempt to access courts and other remedies. Linking access to justice to numerous other human rights, her report concludes that States

Why the Fuss? Understanding the Human Rights Council’s Resolution on Traditional Values

October 8, 2012 IJRC international human rights, progressive development of law, UN Human Rights Council, Universal system

On September 27, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a contentious resolution on the relationship between human rights and traditional values. Though only two pages long, the resolution reignited concerns that State claims of traditional values might be used to thwart the existing human rights framework rather than strengthening it. Specifically, human rights advocates remain wary of traditional values language