thought, expression & association – Page 18 – International Justice Resource Center

Bahrain Update: Protests Continue, UN Team Finds Ongoing Rights Violations, Prominent Activist Beaten

January 8, 2012 IJRC civil society, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, liberty & security of person, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Last Friday, prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was hospitalized after being beaten by security forces in the capital city of Manama following a large demonstration. [BCHR; Washington Post] Mr. Rajab believed the security forces to be nationals of Bahrain and of other Middle Eastern and South Asian nations. [For more on

News Clips- November 28, 2011

November 28, 2011 IJRC thought, expression & association, transitional justice

Today, elections will be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Egypt. In both countries, rights groups have warned of restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, as well as violence. [HRW; Washington Post; MONUSCO] This week, States will convene for the Durban Climate Change Conference, with the UN urging countries to finally come to an agreement on

UN and Human Rights Orgs Highlight Religious Persecution of Christians

October 12, 2011 IJRC discrimination, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, according to a Holy See report to the United Nations. [OHCHR] Human rights groups have urged Iran and Egypt to protect Christians facing religious persecution, including by halting the planned execution of Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani sentenced to death for the crime of apostasy, and by investigating the deaths of

News Clips – October 11, 2011

October 11, 2011 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association

In the wake of the killing of Al-Qaida militant and U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in late September by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, many have questioned the Obama Administration’s legal justification for killing U.S. citizens and others outside combat zones, as discussed by IJRC Board member Jamil Dakwar in “State Sanctioned Killings”, published in the ezine Jadaliyya last Friday.

Pressure on Libya to Comply with AfCHPR's Provisional Measures to Protect Civilians

April 26, 2011 IJRC African System, democracy & political rights, interim measures, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, thought, expression & association, UN General Assembly, UN Security Council

Late last month, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights issued an order for provisional measures, directing the Libyan government to “immediately refrain from any action that would result in loss of life or violation of physical integrity of persons”, in response to Application No. 004/2011 from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Human Rights Watch,

HRW: Hungarian Court Authorizes Gay Pride March Extension

February 20, 2011 IJRC discrimination, domestic courts, thought, expression & association

Human Rights Watch has reported that the Budapest Metropolitan Court decided on February 1 “to allow an extended route for a gay pride march” planned by the Rainbow Mission Foundation for June 18, 2011. The extended route will bring the 2011 Budapest Gay Pride March past the Hungarian parliament building. The Budapest police had denied the extension earlier this month.

Middle East Protests Draw Focus to Freedom of Expression and Political Rights

February 17, 2011 IJRC democracy & political rights, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

In the ongoing wake of pro-democracy demonstrations that has swept through Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Yemen, Iran, Bahrain and Jordan, and which have affected other countries in the region – including Syria and Kuwait – the United Nations and human rights organizations are focusing on freedom of expression, political rights, and the role of democracy in the

Belarus Urged to Release Journalists and Politicians as First Protester Sentenced to 4 Years

February 17, 2011 IJRC democracy & political rights, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, thought, expression & association

Political protester Vasily Parenkov has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for breaking a window in the Belarus parliament building in the mass protests following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko in December. [AFP; The Economist] Critics say that such vandalism crimes should carry a much lighter sentence. Over 40 other opposition leaders and activists have also been charged in

ECHR Judgment: Aydin v. Germany

February 8, 2011 IJRC European System, thought, expression & association

In Aydin v. Germany, the ECHR held that there was no violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights when a Turkish national was convicted for supporting the Workers’ Party of Kurdistan (PKK), which is banned in Germany, and ordered to pay a fine of 1,200 Euros. Aydin v. Germany, App. No. 16637/07 (Jan.