Universal system – Page 23 – International Justice Resource Center

Attacks on South Sudanese Civilians, Humanitarian Workers Prompt International Response

July 20, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, children, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, military and humanitarian intervention, property, regional human rights protection, right to life, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

In South Sudan, opposing armed forces backing President Kirr and Vice President Machar may have committed war crimes by attacking civilians and humanitarian personnel and facilities in recent weeks, according to UN representatives, prompting a decision by the African Union to send additional troops to join the UN peacekeeping force there. [NPR; UN News Centre: Juba; OHCHR Press Briefing] Renewed

UN Working Group Finds China Is Arbitrarily Detaining American Citizen

July 19, 2016 IJRC due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, security & rule of law, torture, UN Special Procedures

In a recently released opinion, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) found that China has arbitrarily deprived Sandy Phan-Gillis, an American citizen, of liberty because she has been denied access to counsel and not been brought before a judicial authority. See WGAD, Communication Concerning Phan (Sandy) Phan-Gillis, Opinion No. 12/2016 (People’s Republic of China), 3 June 2015,

News Clips- July 15, 2016

July 15, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, civil litigation, civil society, corporate accountability, crime & impunity, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, European System, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, UN Security Council, Universal system

Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Civil society organizations called for the release of Bahraini Human Rights defender, Nabeel Rajab, ahead of the start of his trial this week. [FIDH Press Release] Evan Mawarire, the organizer of recent protests in Zimbabwe, has been charged with inciting public disorder. [The Guardian] A pride parade scheduled to take place in Beersheba, Israel was

News Clips – July 8, 2016

July 8, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, regional human rights protection, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction

Human Rights Bodies’ Activities The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution supporting online users’ human rights and criticizing internet shutdowns. [Access Now; TechCrunch] The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met with civil society representatives from the Philippines, Myanmar, and France ahead of those States’ interactive dialogues with the CEDAW Committee, which also took place this week as it

July 2016: UN and European Bodies Meet, IACHR Session Canceled

July 5, 2016 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, Inter-American System, labor rights, monthly overview, persons with disabilities, torture, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

During July 2016, the European Committee of Social Rights and the United Nations human rights treaty bodies focused on civil and political rights, discrimination against women, and torture will convene to review States’ compliance with their treaty obligations. Additionally, the UN experts on freedom of assembly and association and on the rights of persons with disabilities will carry out country visits

International Law Commission Adopts New Articles on Crimes against Humanity

July 1, 2016 IJRC due process & judicial protection, international criminal law, international human rights, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

During its 68th session, the International Law Commission (ILC) adopted an additional five draft articles for a possible international convention on crimes against humanity. The new draft articles address criminalization under national law, establishment of national jurisdiction, investigations and inter-State cooperation, preliminary detention, the obligation to extradite or prosecute, and treatment of alleged offenders. See International Law Commission, Sixty-eighth Session

News Clips- June 24, 2016

June 24, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, civil society, conditions of detention, economic, social & cultural rights, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN General Assembly, Universal system

Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Nobel Laureate, Auun San Suu Kyi, arrived in Thailand on Thursday where she is expected to lobby for the rights of migrant workers. [The Guardian] Over 2,000 police have been deployed in Paris in preparation of protests over new labour legislation. Extra precautions have been taken in light of the last set of protests on

Human Rights Bodies Address Homophobia, Gun Violence after Orlando Attack

June 20, 2016 IJRC European System, Inter-American System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, right to life, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Security Council, and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have urged States to address homophobia, gun violence, and terrorism in the wake of the recent nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. [OHCHR Press Release; UN Press Release; IACHR Press Release] Early Sunday morning on June 12, 2016 Omar

News Clips- June 17, 2016

June 17, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, ICTY, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, regional human rights protection, right to life, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) heard from civil society organizations on adherence to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by the United Kingdom, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Angola. [OHCHR Press Release] As the French government debated a new labor bill that would ease restrictions on

OHCHR: Restricted Movement, Torture, Disappearances Ongoing in Ukraine Conflict

June 14, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

A recent report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) shows that human rights conditions in eastern Ukraine remain precarious two years after the outbreak of conflict there, in view of recent violence in the Donetsk region, increasing militarization near the front line, and continuing rights abuses by both sides in the battle between