massacres – International Justice Resource Center

Conflicts in Cameroon Escalate, Human Rights Experts Respond

August 7, 2018 IJRC African System, assembly and association, children, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, discrimination, extrajudicial executions, international human rights, liberty & security of person, massacres, regional human rights protection, right to life, Universal system

In the past month, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on Cameroon to launch an investigation into persistent reports of a deteriorating human rights situation in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, including to investigate a video showing the alleged extrajudicial executions of a

ICC Releases Annual Report on Progress of Preliminary Examinations

December 6, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, torture, transitional justice

On November 14, the International Criminal Court (ICC) released its 2016 annual report on its pending preliminary investigations into alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide. [ICC Press Release] The report details the Court’s progress on the 10 situations being evaluated for possible investigation, including two examinations initiated during the reporting period of November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016

December 2016: United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session

November 30, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, children, civil society, corporate accountability, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, European System, family, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, massacres, migrants, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

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

Colombians Reject Peace Deal Heralded by International Community, Negotiations Continue

October 11, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, international humanitarian law, massacres, security & rule of law, torture, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

On Sunday, October 2, 2016 Colombians headed to the polls to vote on a peace agreement to end the 52-year war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas. [The Guardian: Voters] Contrary to what the polls had predicted, the peace deal referendum was rejected by a 0.4 percent margin. [The Guardian: Voters] The deal was the result of

Inter-American Commission Refers Four Cases to Inter-American Court

October 4, 2016 IJRC assembly and association, children, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, health, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, massacres, regional human rights protection, right to life, women's rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has referred four cases over the last two months to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) involving Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Two of the cases, against Mexico and Nicaragua, involve sexual violence against women and girls. The case against Chile concerns the need to obtain informed consent prior to medical proceedings

News Clips – July 8, 2016

July 8, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, regional human rights protection, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction

Human Rights Bodies’ Activities The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution supporting online users’ human rights and criticizing internet shutdowns. [Access Now; TechCrunch] The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met with civil society representatives from the Philippines, Myanmar, and France ahead of those States’ interactive dialogues with the CEDAW Committee, which also took place this week as it

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

Recent Developments at Khmer Rouge Tribunal Draw Praise, Criticism

January 28, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres

Amid recent developments, legal experts have both lauded and criticized the proceedings of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the tribunal established jointly by Cambodia and the United Nations to prosecute those most responsible for crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. While welcoming progress that has included charges against

ICTR Reduces Butare Defendants’ Sentences in Last Judgment before Closing

January 19, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, due process & judicial protection, ICTR, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, thought, expression & association, UN Security Council

After more than 20 years of prosecuting those most responsible for the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has issued its final judgment and closed its doors. [The Citizen] In its forty-fifth and final judgment, delivered on December 14, 2015, the Appeals Chamber decided appeals from six defendants previously convicted by the Trial Chamber. [BBC]

International Criminal Court Reports on Preliminary Examinations as States Parties Convene

November 18, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, torture, UN Security Council

On November 12, 2015, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), published her annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (2015), which details the preliminary examination activities conducted by her office between November 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015. These included two situations – Georgia and Honduras – in which the Office of the Prosecutor (OPT) has concluded its