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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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
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In a judgment adopted on December 2, 2016, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) did not find violations of the principle of the rule of law or of the right to property due to insufficient evidence provided by the complainant, but did analyze the conduct of Burundian courts and its own jurisdiction to review their decisions. See East African
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December 13, 2016 marked 10 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but according to one United Nations expert, States have yet to take adequate steps to realize the rights of persons with disabilities. [OHCHR Press Release: Lagging] Catalina Devandas Aguilar, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, described the
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Civil Society Canada issued guidelines this week on supporting human rights defenders. [ISHR] Two UN Special Rapporteurs noted this week that the human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are frequently arbitrarily arrested and detained. [OHCHR Press Release] Protesters at a film festival in south India were arrested this week after refusing to stand for the national anthem. [Guardian]
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The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) has issued a new judgment, holding that Côte d’Ivoire violated various human rights obligations in establishing a partisan election monitoring body ahead of the 2015 national elections, the first held since Alassane Ouattara succeeded Laurent Gbagbo in the presidency following an end to the country’s civil war. See AfCHPR, Actions Pour
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United Nations human rights experts have recently denounced the suppression of the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations in Egypt through the use of travel bans and restrictions on foreign funding for non-governmental organizations. In the last year, UN experts warn, Egypt has prevented human rights defenders from leaving the country and drafted a bill to limit
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Civil Society Reports indicate that Facebook has developed a censorship software to use in the Chinese market. [Guardian] The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders denounced the numerous travel bans imposed on human rights activists in Egypt. [OHCHR Press Release] Ahead of elections in Gambia that took place on Thursday, President Jammeh banned international phone calls,
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The International Justice Resource Center is thrilled to announce the launch of our latest publication, Advocacy before the African Human Rights System: A Manual for Attorneys and Advocates. This manual, which is part of our publication series Preventing and Remedying Human Rights Violations through the International Framework, is the result of several years’ work and benefits from the research and review
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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
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