thought, expression & association – Page 12 – International Justice Resource Center

Argentine Court Convicts Former Dictator for Conspiracy in Operation Condor

June 7, 2016 IJRC domestic courts, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international criminal law, liberty & security of person, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture

An Argentine court has convicted and sentenced former dictator Reynaldo Bignone and 14 other former Argentine military officers of crimes against humanity for their roles in Operation Condor, a transnational conspiracy behind the kidnapping, torture, killing, and forced disappearance of hundreds of political dissidents during the 1970s and 1980s. [NYT; CIJ] Bignone was convicted of participating in an illicit association,

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

RightsCon Silicon Valley 2016: Intersection of Human Rights and Technology

April 6, 2016 IJRC corporate accountability, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, international human rights, migrants, privacy, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

RightsCon, an annual conference on technology and human rights, took place in San Francisco this year with three days of panel discussions. The conference brings together human rights defenders, lawyers, engineers, government officials, corporate representatives, and technologists to discuss technology’s benefits as a tool for protecting human rights and its pitfalls as a catalyst for rights abuses. The conference was

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Acquits Journalist, TV Station of Contempt

March 17, 2016 IJRC corporate accountability, internationalized criminal tribunals, thought, expression & association

On March 8, 2016 the appeals panel of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) reversed the contempt conviction of Karma Khayat, the deputy head of news of the television news station Al Jadeed, and upheld the acquittal of the station itself, in connection with the broadcast of information concerning the identity of confidential witnesses. See Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Al

Increased Oppression of Chinese Human Rights Defenders Draws International Criticism

February 22, 2016 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures

Human rights monitors have expressed alarm at China’s ongoing crackdown on those critical of the government. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, recently drew attention to the Chinese government’s continued oppression of human rights defenders and government critics, specifically referring to a wave of arrests and harassment of civil society actors that began after

ACHPR Publishes Guidelines on Human Rights while Countering Terrorism

February 18, 2016 IJRC African System, civil society, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, publications and resources, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has released new principles intended to guide its Member States in implementing counter-terrorism and security measures that comply with regional and international human rights norms. As African States increasingly face real and practical challenges posed by terrorism, the Principles and Guidelines on Human and Peoples’ Rights while Countering Terrorism in Africa

IACtHR Confirms Indigenous Peoples’ Land and Access to Information Rights

February 12, 2016 IJRC democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, thought, expression & association

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) has issued its judgment in the case of Kaliña and Lokono Peoples v. Suriname, which concerns interference with two indigenous communities’ claim to and use of their traditional territories due to mining operations, the establishment of nature reserves, and the provision of property titles to other individuals. [IACtHR Press Release] The judgment, adopted

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]

European Court: Russian Interception of Mobile Phone Communications Violates Convention

January 14, 2016 IJRC due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, privacy, thought, expression & association

On December 4, 2015, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued its judgment in the case of Zakharov v. Russia, concerning the compatibility of Russia’s secret surveillance of mobile phone communications with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. See ECtHR, Zakharov v. Russia [GC], no. 47143/06, Judgment of 4 December 2015. The case was

AU-EU Meetings Emphasize Cooperation to Protect Human Rights

January 11, 2016 IJRC African System, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, European System, human rights defenders, international human rights, military and humanitarian intervention, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, women's rights

In November 2015, representatives of African and European intergovernmental organizations and civil society gathered in Rwanda for the 11th African Union – European Union (AU-EU) Human Rights Dialogue, a platform for sharing experiences concerning human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Participants in the Human Rights Dialogue, which was held in Kigali on November 24, 2015, included the Hon.