right to life – Page 20 – International Justice Resource Center

UN Human Rights Council Concludes 22nd Session with Resolutions on North Korea, Mali, Syria, and Human Rights Defenders

March 27, 2013 IJRC human rights defenders, international human rights, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal Periodic Review

The United Nations Human Rights Council concluded its twenty-second regular session last week after adopting a number of decisions, statements and resolutions to address pressing concerns in a handful of countries, advance its work on a range of human rights issues, and call for greater protection of human rights defenders. [OHCHR] Among other notable decisions during the four-week session, the

UN Compensates Zimbabwe Staffer, but Haitian Victims' Struggle for Justice Continues in Cholera Outbreaks Attributed to UN

March 5, 2013 IJRC due process & judicial protection, health, international human rights, military and humanitarian intervention, reparations, right to life, Universal system

At the end of February, the United Nations (UN) issued two decisions concerning its role is the spread of cholera in Haiti and Zimbabwe. In Haiti, victims of cholera and their advocates claim that UN peacekeepers from Nepal introduced cholera to the country, but the UN has stated it will not hear their complaint. [UN] In Zimbabwe, a UN official claims

Opportunities to Contribute to UN Reports with March Deadlines

March 5, 2013 IJRC civil society, death penalty, international human rights, right to life, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

This month, civil society organizations and human rights defenders have the opportunity to contribute their comments on three upcoming UN reports on the topics of the right to peace, the relationship between human rights and traditional values, and the death penalty.

Extraordinary African Chambers: Hybrid Court to Try Former Chad Dictator Hissène Habré

February 13, 2013 IJRC African System, crime & impunity, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, European System, extrajudicial executions, International Court of Justice, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, torture, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction

The Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court, opened on February 8, 2013 in the West African nation of Senegal to prepare a case against former Chadian president Hissène Habré. [NY Times] Habré has been accused of responsibility for the deaths of more than 40,000 people and the torture of more than 20,000 during his eight-year rule of Chad, from 1982

IACtHR Swears in New Judges, Hears Cases on Range of Issues during Ongoing 98th Session

February 6, 2013 IJRC children, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, judicial independence, labor rights, property, reparations, torture

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 98th Ordinary Session from February 4 through February 15, 2013 at its seat in San José, Costa Rica. [IACtHR Press Release (Spanish)] During this session, the Court will hear evidence and legal arguments from the parties in six cases pending before it, preside over private hearings on States’ compliance with three previous judgments,

Mali Conflict: Concerns Persist for Protection of Human Rights, Displaced Populations, Minority Groups

February 5, 2013 IJRC African System, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, International Criminal Court, international human rights, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, Universal Periodic Review

The West African nation of Mali, previously hailed as a democratic model for other regional governments, has become engulfed in a human rights and political crisis that is now the target of international attention and military intervention. Government and foreign forces are attempting to reclaim territory from separatist rebel groups, while the International Criminal Court and UN and African human rights

UN Special Rapporteur Initiates Investigation into Drone Strikes and Other Targeted Killings

February 4, 2013 IJRC due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, security & rule of law, UN Special Procedures

On January 24, 2013, the UN Special Rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, Ben Emmerson, launched an investigation of States’ use of armed drones and other forms of targeted killing. The investigation will focus on the legal framework applicable to the use of drones and the technology’s impact on civilians by examining 25 case studies of strikes carried out by the

Guatemala Abrogates Attempt to Limit the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ Jurisdiction

January 23, 2013 IJRC crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international human rights, massacres, torture, transitional justice, universal jurisdiction

On January 17, 2013, Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina announced the derogation of a resolution that would have attempted to limit the Inter-American Court of Human Right’s jurisdiction over alleged human rights violations that took place before 1987. [IACHR; Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos] In December 2012, the Guatemalan Congress passed Resolution 370-2012, the purpose of which was to restrict the Inter-American Court of

States to Negotiate, Adopt Treaty Regulating Mercury Emissions which Advocates Hope Will Address Health and Environmental Concerns

January 16, 2013 IJRC environmental rights, health, right to life, Universal system

This week, governments are gathered in Geneva to negotiate the final text of an international treaty to regulate the uses and handling of mercury. [WP] In direct response to a 270-page United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report citing a lack of uniform global oversight on mercury emissions, the UNEP Governing Council recognized in 2009 that a legally binding document on

Death Penalty & Human Rights: Comments of UN Special Rapporteurs

November 6, 2012 IJRC death penalty, international human rights, right to life, torture, UN General Assembly, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Although a growing number of countries have abolished the death penalty, 50 of the 193 UN Member States continue to either impose the death penalty or legally allow for it, and thus the death penalty continues to be widely debated internationally. During their presentations to the UN General Assembly in October 2012, two UN Special Rapporteurs presented their findings on