enforced disappearance – Page 3 – International Justice Resource Center

Inter-American Commission Refers Colombian “False Positives” Killings to Court

May 18, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international human rights, international humanitarian law, right to life

On April 14, 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) submitted an application to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), referring several cases that involve the extrajudicial killings by Colombian security agents. [IACHR Press Release] The victims were killed between 1992 and 1997 and were six of several thousand “falsos positivos,” a term used to refer to ordinary

Deterioration of Rights Environment in Turkey Violates International Obligations

May 16, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, European System, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, international human rights, migrants, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Human rights experts and civil society groups have issued repeated calls for Turkey to address the ongoing deterioration of the rights environment in the country amidst a failed Kurdish peace process, a sharp escalation of violent anti-terrorism operations, border guards’ attacks against Syrian refugees, and a severe crackdown on journalists and political dissidents. [Washington Post; CPJ] In a statement delivered

IACHR Releases Report on Grave Human Rights Situation in Mexico

March 7, 2016 IJRC enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, torture

In a report released March 2, 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Inter-American Commission) has exposed the severity of Mexico’s ongoing human rights crisis. See IACHR, Situation of Human Rights in Mexico (2015). The report relies on information gathered during onsite visits conducted by the IACHR and its rapporteurships, as well as from IACHR hearings, precautionary measures, and petitions

March 2016: Regional and Universal Human Rights Bodies in Session

March 1, 2016 IJRC African System, Commission on the Status of Women, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, European System, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, monthly overview, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, women's rights

During the month of March 2016, ten supranational human rights bodies will be in session. These include three regional human rights monitoring bodies: the African Court on Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR), the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACtHR). Additionally, seven United Nations mechanisms will meet in Geneva, Switzerland: the Human Rights

UN Experts: Widespread Abuses and Killings of Detainees in Syria

February 17, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, conditions of detention, death penalty, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, massacres, right to life, security & rule of law, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council

A recent report from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI) has revealed that all sides to the conflict in Syria have subjected those captured, kidnapped, or arrested to violence and rights abuses that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. See UN Human Rights Council, Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Deaths in

Guatemala Prosecutes Soldiers For Sexual Slavery During Civil War

February 16, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, domestic courts, enforced disappearance, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, torture, women's rights

A landmark trial of former Guatemalan soldiers for crimes against humanity commenced this month before the country’s High Risk Court A (Tribunal de Mayor Riesgo A). In 2014, the State arrested and charged former Sepur Zarco base commander Lieutenant Colonel Esteelmer Reyes Giron and former military commissioner Heriberto Valdez Asij with acts of sexual violence, sexual slavery, murder, and forced

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,

Committee on Enforced Disappearances Reviews Iraq and Montenegro

September 15, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, enforced disappearance, family, freedom of religion, ICTY, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, reparations, right to life, transitional justice, UN treaty bodies

The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) is currently holding its 9th session in Geneva, Switzerland from September 7th to 18th. The CED is reviewing State reports of Iraq and Montenegro regarding their implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (Convention). During the session, the CED and each State engage in dialogue

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

Recent Human Rights Decisions Address Disability Discrimination, Non-Refoulement, and Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences

July 1, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, family, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

During the fall of 2014, at each of their respective sessions, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), and the Committee Against Torture (CAT) adopted key decisions on topics including the definition of disability; enforced disappearances; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; juvenile life imprisonment;