Universal system – Page 29 – International Justice Resource Center

Commission of Inquiry and Special Rapporteur on Eritrea: Mandates Extended

July 20, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, judicial independence, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, women's rights

On June 4, 2015, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (Commission) issued a report containing findings of “systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations” that might rise to the level of crimes against humanity committed by the State of Eritrea. [OHCHR Press Release: UN Inquiry] See UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Commission of

CEDAW Committee Reviews 8 States’ Records on Discrimination against Women

July 15, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, family, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, liberty & security of person, reproductive and sexual rights, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) is currently holding its 61st session from July 6 to July 24, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, the CEDAW Committee has been reviewing State reports submitted by Bolivia, Croatia, Gambia, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Spain, and Vietnam, on their implementation of the

ILO Adopts Historic Labor Standard to Advance Formal Economies

July 8, 2015 IJRC children, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, ILO, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, thought, expression & association, women's rights

The General Conference of the International Labour Organization adopted Recommendation 204, which aims to promote the transition from informal to formal economies worldwide, on June 12, 2015 at the 104th Session of the International Labour Conference. See International Labour Conference, Recommendation 204, Concerning the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy, 104th Session, Geneva, 12 June 2015. The recommendation passed with

Recent Human Rights Decisions Address Disability Discrimination, Non-Refoulement, and Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences

July 1, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, family, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

During the fall of 2014, at each of their respective sessions, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), and the Committee Against Torture (CAT) adopted key decisions on topics including the definition of disability; enforced disappearances; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; juvenile life imprisonment;

Human Rights Committee Reviews 7 States’ Records on Civil and Political Rights

June 29, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, international humanitarian law, judicial independence, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

This week, the Human Rights Committee will commence its 114th session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session will take place from June 29 to July 24, during which time the Committee will review the State reports of Canada, France, Macedonia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. The Committee will also review reports submitted by civil society organizations and national human

CESCR Reviews 7 State Records on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

June 15, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, Employment & Scholarship Opportunities, family, freedom of religion, indigenous communities, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, property, reproductive and sexual rights, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) commenced its 55th session in Geneva, Switzerland on June 1. During this session, which will end on June 19, the Committee will review the State reports of Chile, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Thailand, Uganda, and Venezuela concerning the States’ implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). During the

UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression: 2014 Annual Report

June 8, 2015 IJRC civil society, corporate accountability, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, international human rights, privacy, thought, expression & association, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

On May 22, 2015, David Kaye, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (Special Rapporteur), submitted his annual report to the Human Rights Council. His report evaluates whether the rights to privacy and freedom of opinion and expression protect secure online communication by methods including encryption and anonymity. Secondly, his

Mandela Rules Adopted: Landmark Revisions Made to UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

June 3, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, privacy, progressive development of law, UN Economic and Social Council, UN General Assembly

On May 22, 2015, the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) gathered in Vienna and adopted the Mandela Rules, which are revisions to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR), the leading international principles on the treatment of prisoners, which had not been updated since they were drafted in 1955. The Mandela Rules honor

CERD Rules that Korea’s Mandatory HIV/AIDS Testing for Foreign Employees Violates the Convention

June 1, 2015 IJRC civil society, discrimination, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, privacy, reparations, UN treaty bodies

On May 1, 2015, in L.G. v. Republic of Korea, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) ruled that mandatory HIV/AIDS and drug testing for foreign English teachers violated articles 2, 5, and 6 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). [UN News Center Press Release]. See Committee on the Elimination

Central African Republic Votes to Create New Hybrid Tribunal

May 21, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, civil society, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, International Criminal Court, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, UN Security Council

On April 22, 2015, the Central African Republic’s transitional parliament voted to adopt a law to create a Special Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed in the Central African Republic since 2003. In order for the Special Criminal Court to now be established, its acting president, Catherine Samba-Panza, must enact