regional human rights protection – Page 32 – International Justice Resource Center

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,

ECtHR Finds Ukraine Protestors’ Prison Sentences Excessive, but Okays Caging Defendants

October 15, 2015 IJRC democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, thought, expression & association

On October 6, 2015, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) released its judgment in Karpyuk and Others v. Ukraine, concerning the criminal prosecution of seven applicants who were involved in mass protests in Kiev in March 2001. See ECtHR, Karpyuk and Others v. Ukraine, nos. 30582/04 and 32152/04, Judgment of 6 October 2015. The Court held that two applicants’ rights under

GQUAL Campaign to Increase Gender Parity on International Rights Bodies

October 5, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, European System, ICJ, Inter-American System, International Court of Justice, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

A new campaign, GQUAL, aims to address the gender imbalance on international courts and human rights bodies, where women make up less than 25% of the existing membership. [GQUAL Press Release] The campaign will work to change the nomination and voting practices of States and the relevant institutions, to ensure that gender balance is a real consideration. Through its website,

Burkina Faso’s President Reinstated and Elections Rescheduled after Coup

September 28, 2015 IJRC African System, armed conflict, civil society, democracy & political rights, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Burkina Faso’s interim President Michel Kafando was reinstated on September 23, 2015, following a truce agreement between coup leaders and the national army. [BBC News: Reinstated; Al Jazeera: Coup leaders sign truce] This truce agreement came after the September 16th coup in which members of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP, for its French name: Régiment de sécurité présidentielle), calling themselves

Ecuador Attempts to Dissolve Only Remaining Independent Press Freedom Organization

September 24, 2015 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

On September 8, 2015 the National Secretariat of Communications of Ecuador (SECOM) sent a letter of notification to La Fundación Andina para la Observación y Estudio de los Medios [The Andean Foundation for the Social Observation and Study of Media] (Fundamedios), a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting freedom of expression, that it was initiating an administrative process to dissolve the

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

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Holds 53^rd Extraordinary Session

September 1, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, interim measures, international human rights, liberty & security of person, property, reparations, right to life, security & rule of law

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) held its 53rd Extraordinary Session in Honduras, which began on August 24 and concluded on August 29, 2015. During this session the Court held public hearings in two cases: Quispialaya Vilcapoma v. Peru and Ángel Alberto Duque v. Colombia. The Court also held a private hearing concerning compliance on the part of Honduras with sentences

IJRC Newsletter: August 2015

August 28, 2015 IJRC African System, European System, IJRC Newsletter, IJRC Updates, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Developing Right to Life General Comment

August 27, 2015 IJRC African System, armed conflict, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, death penalty, democracy & political rights, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, reparations, right to life

In June 2015, the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings (Working Group) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) met in Kigali, Rwanda to develop a General Comment on Article 4 (right to life) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, also known as the Banjul Charter (Charter). This meeting

IACHR Report Highlights Human Rights Violations at Guantanamo and Urges Closure

August 17, 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, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, privacy, regional human rights protection, reparations, right to life, security & rule of law, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

On August 5, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report “Towards the Closure of Guantanamo,” which examines the human rights situation of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Towards the Closure of Guantanamo (Report), 2015. The report concludes that detainees are subject to indefinite detention; torture and