Universal system – Page 18 – International Justice Resource Center

First Older Persons’ Rights Convention Enters into Force in Americas

December 27, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, cultural rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, education, environmental rights, equal protection, European System, health, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

The Inter-American human rights system will soon welcome the entry into force of the world’s first binding convention on the rights of older persons. Costa Rica deposited its ratification of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons on December 12, 2016. [OAS Press Release; IACHR Press Release] Costa Rica is the second OAS Member State—following Uruguay—to

News Clips – December 23, 2016

December 23, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, privacy, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society This week, Human Rights Watch reported that police officers regularly mistreat prisoners in India through the use of torture and the failure to bring detainees before a judge soon after arrest. [Washington Post] On Wednesday, a civil society organization reported escalated violence against human rights defenders in Guatemala, including 14 murders and seven attempted murders this year. [FIDH]

UN Expert Decries Disability Rights Progress on Convention’s 10-year Anniversary

December 20, 2016 IJRC African System, discrimination, education, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

December 13, 2016 marked 10 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but according to one United Nations expert, States have yet to take adequate steps to realize the rights of persons with disabilities. [OHCHR Press Release: Lagging] Catalina Devandas Aguilar, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, described the

Migrants Detained in Libya Face Serious Rights Abuses, UN Reports

December 19, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, education, health, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, torture, Universal system, women's rights

A new report from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights details rights abuses against migrants held in detention in Libya. Published on December 13, 2016, “Detained and dehumanized”: Report on Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants in Libya, summarizes information gathered from migrants held in detention centers that are mostly run

News Clips- December 16, 2016

December 16, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, cultural rights, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, health, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, international human rights, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society Canada issued guidelines this week on supporting human rights defenders. [ISHR] Two UN Special Rapporteurs noted this week that the human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are frequently arbitrarily arrested and detained. [OHCHR Press Release] Protesters at a film festival in south India were arrested this week after refusing to stand for the national anthem. [Guardian]

Experts Convene for Symposium on Torture Victims’ Right to Rehabilitation

December 15, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, regional human rights protection, reparations, right to life, torture, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) held a symposium in Mexico City last week entitled Delivering on the Promise of the Right to Rehabilitation that brought together over 300 people, including clinical professionals, lawyers, researchers, and policymakers, from around the world to discuss rehabilitation of torture survivors. [IRCT Press Release] The IRCT is a membership-based organization consisting of

News Clips- December 9, 2016

December 9, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, cultural rights, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, equal protection, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, ICTY, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

Civil Society This week, seven Tibetans in China were given prison sentences that ranged from five to 14 years. [HKFP] Egyptian authorities arrested a prominent human rights activist, Azza Soliman. [AI] Harsh winter weather forced demonstrators to temporarily evacuate the protest site at Standing Rock where they have been protesting the construction of a pipeline. [Washington Post] A Human Rights

UN Experts Warn Against Egypt’s Suppression of Civil Society

December 5, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, civil society, human rights defenders, international human rights, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

United Nations human rights experts have recently denounced the suppression of the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations in Egypt through the use of travel bans and restrictions on foreign funding for non-governmental organizations. In the last year, UN experts warn, Egypt has prevented human rights defenders from leaving the country and drafted a bill to limit

News Clips- December 2, 2016

December 2, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Civil Society Reports indicate that Facebook has developed a censorship software to use in the Chinese market. [Guardian] The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders denounced the numerous travel bans imposed on human rights activists in Egypt. [OHCHR Press Release] Ahead of elections in Gambia that took place on Thursday, President Jammeh banned international phone calls,

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