On October 22, jurors in a United States federal district court found four former Blackwater security guards guilty of first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis on September 16, 2007. The killings occurred while a team of security guards – code-named Raven 23 – employed by the private security company escorted a U.S. State Department
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Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Focuses on Women and Conditions in Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea during its 12th Session
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) held its twelfth session from September 15 to October 3, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee reviewed State reports from Belgium, Denmark, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea regarding their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additionally, the agenda included the Committee’s review
Read moreUN Climate Summit 2014 Yields Mass Public Mobilization, Political Commitments as Participants Hope to Lay Groundwork for Global Climate Change Treaty
The much anticipated one-day Climate Summit 2014 took place this Tuesday, September 23 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, marking the international community’s latest effort to address climate change. Hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Climate Summit 2014 aimed to engage world leaders and encourage international action to slow climate change. Governments at the Summit were expected
Read moreFirst World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Held This Week at UN Headquarters in New York City
On September 22 and 23, the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples is taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The purpose of the World Conference is to “share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples” and to pursue the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Read moreCommittee on the Rights of the Child Discusses the Impact of Digital Media and Reviews Croatia, Fiji, Hungary, Morocco, Singapore, and Venezuela during its 67th Session
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) held its 67th Session from September 1 to 19 in Geneva, Switzerland. The CRC reviewed the State reports of Croatia, Fiji, Hungary, Morocco, Singapore, and Venezuela concerning their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its protocols on the sale and prostitution of children and
Read moreNew United Nations Report Details Human Rights Abuses by Militias in Libya’s Ongoing Armed Conflict
Last week, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) published a joint report providing an overview of human rights abuses committed in Libya from May through August 2014, amid ongoing fighting among militias for control of Benghazi and Tripoli. See UNSMIL & OHCHR, Overview of Violations of International Human Rights
Read moreUN Human Rights Council Requests Investigation into Islamic State’s Human Rights Abuses in Iraq
The United Nations Human Rights Council held its 22nd special session this week to address human rights violations committed by the Islamic State and associated groups, which have been accused of mass atrocities as they move to take territory and eliminate minority groups in Iraq and neighboring countries. [OHCHR; Amnesty] The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution requesting the
Read moreSeptember 2014 Newsletter: New IJRC Guides and Resources, and Our New Location
On 4th International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Advocacy and Monitoring Continue on Behalf of Victims and Families
On August 30th, the international community will commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, honoring those who have been forcibly disappeared, while encouraging States to cease this practice and remedy the damage it has caused. Enforced disappearance is defined as arrest, detention, abduction, or other deprivation of a person’s liberty by agents of the State, combined with
Read moreWomen’s Human Rights Training: Videos and Summary Report Now Available
In follow-up to the International Justice Resource Center’s most recent training, Protecting Women’s Rights: International Law & Advocacy, we are pleased to announce that the video recordings and summary report are now available online. The conference, held at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco on June 19, 2014, featured some of the most distinguished human rights and women’s rights
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