The Center for Justice and International Law [CEJIL] has released a documentary on the plight of indigenous Miskito fisherman divers along the Caribbean coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, where inadequate work safety protections, medical treatment, and compensation for injuries suffered in this increasingly-dangerous occupation have left many families in desperate situations. CEJIL and local organizations have presented a petition to the
Read moreCategory: regional human rights protection
IACtHR's 44th Extraordinary Session: Hearing Today on Father's Rights in Adoption Process
As the Inter-American Court of Human Rights holds its 44th Extraordinary Session in Barbados from October 10 to 14, it will hear arguments in the case of Fornerón v. Argentina (paternal consent in adoption proceedings) and host a seminar and roundtable discussion focused on Caribbean engagement with the Inter-American System. This session marks the first time the Court has convened
Read moreNews Clips – October 11, 2011
In the wake of the killing of Al-Qaida militant and U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in late September by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, many have questioned the Obama Administration’s legal justification for killing U.S. citizens and others outside combat zones, as discussed by IJRC Board member Jamil Dakwar in “State Sanctioned Killings”, published in the ezine Jadaliyya last Friday.
Read moreECHR Decisions in Torture Cases (Article 3) : July 2011
Cases compiled by IJRC contributor Carmi Lecker 1. Huseyn and Others v. Azerbaijan: Criminal proceedings against four opposition activists for allegedly inciting demonstrators to violence were unfair In Huseyn and Others v. Azerbaijan (application nos. 35485/05, 45553/05, 35680/05 and 36085/05), the European Court of Human Rights found the application inadmissible on the merits where the applicants’ allegations of torture and poor
Read moreColombia Apologizes for 1994 Extrajudicial Execution of Political Party Leader
Colombia issued a public apology, recognizing its international responsibility for the 1994 extrajudicial execution of communist Senator Manuel Cepeda Vargas in accordance with a judgment issued against the State by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. [IACHR; El Tiempo] The state’s apology was one of the measures of reparation ordered by the Court last year. The Inter-American Commission had alleged, and the
Read moreRight to Prior Consultation Highlighted on International Day of Indigenous Peoples
On August 9, the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the Inter-American Commission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted the importance of procedural safeguards that adequately protect indigenous communities’ land rights and way of life – including the right to prior consultation on projects or policies that will impact them. [IACHR; OHCHR] The right to prior consultation is also
Read moreReleased Egyptian Political Prisoner Urges African Commission to Ensure Accountability for and Non-Repetition of Mubarak Era Abuses
The Open Society Justice Initiative and Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights have announced a development in their complaint on behalf of Egyptian political prisoner Mohammed Abderrahim El-Sharkawi. [OSJI] The two organizations recently filed written arguments on admissibility before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which received the complaint in late 2010. [OSJI] El-Sharkawi reportedly spent nearly 16 years in
Read moreFreeze on Prison Admissions May Fill Police Station Holding Cells, as Venezuela Attempts to Reduce Historic Overcrowding
Venezuelan police station holding cells are filling up as the country’s new prisons minister orders a freeze on new admissions to the violent, overcrowded prisons operating at nearly 400% capacity. [Washington Post] Venezuelan prisons are known to be effectively run by armed gangs, house inmates in inhumane conditions, and be the scene of numerous violent uprisings and clashes between prisoners
Read moreRights Groups Advocate for Greater Transparency in ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), created in 2009, has yet to release a public report on its activities or findings, leading some rights groups to push for greater transparency and opportunities for public engagement. [Jakarta Globe] Other groups have criticized the body’s lack of an independent secretariat and accused it of failing to fulfill its mission of
Read moreNew Commissioners Elected to IACHR
During the 41st General Assembly of the Organization of American States, currently underway in El Salvador, the OAS Member States elected three new commissioners to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. [CEJIL] The three new members are Tracy Robinson of Jamaica, Rosa Maria Ortiz of Paraguay and Rosa-Mary Bella Antoine of Belize. These new commissions will begin their four-year terms
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