right to life – Page 4 – International Justice Resource Center

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s Controversial Election Prompts Violence, International Reactions

August 8, 2017 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, democracy & political rights, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, condemned last week the recent violence and arrests that occurred in response to demonstrations around Venezuela’s election for a National Constituent Assembly – a powerful entity intended to replace the current legislature and rewrite the Venezuelan constitution. The election was reportedly tampered with by the Venezuelan government, prompting

UN Experts Warn of Continued Rights Violations in the Philippines

August 7, 2017 IJRC children, conditions of detention, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, international human rights, liberty & security of person, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Last week, three United Nations independent experts – the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children – made an urgent appeal to the government of the Philippines concerning grave human rights violations, including murder; threats against human

News Clips- August 4, 2017

August 4, 2017 IJRC civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, European System, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association

Civil Society This week, a source confirmed that the government of Syria executed activist and Internet entrepreneur, Bassel Khartabil Safadi, in October 2015. [Washington Post] On Thursday, it was reported that activists launched a public appeal asking the prince of Saudi Arabia to dismiss terrorism-related offenses against 14 Shiite men. [Washington Post] On Tuesday, two Venezuelan opposition leaders were taken

UN Senior Official Visits Honduras Following Threats to Human Rights Defenders

August 1, 2017 IJRC civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, right to life, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

The United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, visited Honduras last week to assess the human rights situation in the country – particularly regarding the protection of human rights defenders and indigenous peoples – a visit that took place in the context of continued threats to human rights defenders in the country. [OHCHR Press Release: Honduras; IACHR

UN Reports Civilian Casualties, Rights Abuses Remain High in Afghanistan

July 24, 2017 IJRC armed conflict, children, education, health, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, right to life, Universal system, women's rights

On July 17, 2017, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released its mid-year report on the situation of civilians in Afghanistan, revealing that the level of civilian casualties remains high. [UNAMA Press Release] UNAMA confirmed a total of 5,243 civilian casualties (1,662 deaths and 3,581 injured) from January 1 to June 30, 2017, which represents a decrease of

African Commission Declaration Recommends Expanded Protections for Human Rights Defenders

July 10, 2017 IJRC African System, assembly and association, civil society, discrimination, enforced disappearance, health, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, Universal system, women's rights

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) recently published the Cotonou Declaration on strengthening and expanding the protection of all Human Rights Defenders in Africa that recommends repealing harmful and discriminatory laws, ensuring compliance with existing international standards that impact human rights defenders, and developing standards on women human rights defenders, among other recommendations. Adopted earlier this year during the 2nd

News Clips- July 7, 2017

July 7, 2017 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, human rights defenders, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, News Clips, right to life, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society On Thursday, Turkish police arrested nine human rights activists, including Amnesty International’s Turkey director, Idli Eser. [BBC News] On Thursday, a student activist in Hong Kong pleaded guilty to a contempt of court charge related to his participation in pro-democracy protests in 2014. [Al Jazeera] On Sunday, anti-G20 summit protesters clashed with local police in Hamburg, Germany. [Guardian]

News Clips- June 23, 2017

June 23, 2017 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, civil society, corporate accountability, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, European System, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, LGBTI rights, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN General Assembly, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society On Thursday, several civil society organizations urged for the prompt and independent investigation into the “barrage of assaults and threats” against human rights lawyers in Pakistan. [ICJ] On Saturday, thousands of protesters in Madrid, Spain marched to demand that the government fulfill its pledge to take in 17,000 refugees. [Al Jazeera] Violence & Humanitarian Crises On Thursday, the

UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings: Gender-Based Killings Are Arbitrary

June 14, 2017 IJRC discrimination, health, international human rights, LGBTI rights, right to life, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

The newly appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, presented her first report at the 35th regular session of the Human Rights Council in which she addressed the key elements of a gender-sensitive approach to the right to life, concluding that gender-based killings may constitute arbitrary execution and that systemic discrimination based on sex,

African Court Issues First Ruling on Violations Against Indigenous Peoples

June 7, 2017 IJRC African System, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, freedom of religion, indigenous communities, international human rights, property, regional human rights protection, right to life

In its first judgment on the treatment and rights of indigenous people, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) held that Kenya violated the Ogiek peoples’ rights to land, religion, culture, development, and non-discrimination. See AfCHPR, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights v. Kenya, App. no. 006/2012, Judgment of 26 May 2017. Specifically, the African Court held