UN Special Procedures – Page 12 – International Justice Resource Center

GQUAL Campaign to Increase Gender Parity on International Rights Bodies

October 5, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, European System, ICJ, Inter-American System, International Court of Justice, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

A new campaign, GQUAL, aims to address the gender imbalance on international courts and human rights bodies, where women make up less than 25% of the existing membership. [GQUAL Press Release] The campaign will work to change the nomination and voting practices of States and the relevant institutions, to ensure that gender balance is a real consideration. Through its website,

Ecuador Attempts to Dissolve Only Remaining Independent Press Freedom Organization

September 24, 2015 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

On September 8, 2015 the National Secretariat of Communications of Ecuador (SECOM) sent a letter of notification to La Fundación Andina para la Observación y Estudio de los Medios [The Andean Foundation for the Social Observation and Study of Media] (Fundamedios), a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting freedom of expression, that it was initiating an administrative process to dissolve the

UN Report Highlights Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka and Urges Creation of Hybrid Court

September 22, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, human rights defenders, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, reparations, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

On September 16, 2015, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, released a report on the human rights violations, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and gender-based violence, committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan government forces from 2002-2011. See Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Report of the OHCHR

Migration Crisis: Recent Developments, Human Rights Standards, and European Court Decision

September 4, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, family, immigration & asylum, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, torture, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

Political upheaval and human rights violations in parts of Africa and the Middle East, particularly in Eritrea, Kosovo, and Syria, are increasing migration flows to Europe at an unprecedented rate. While the European Union (EU) received approximately 626,000 applications for asylum in 2014, Germany alone is expected to receive 800,000 applications this year. [Financial Times: Germany] Europe has not yet

IJRC Newsletter: August 2015

August 28, 2015 IJRC African System, European System, IJRC Newsletter, IJRC Updates, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

IACHR Report Highlights Human Rights Violations at Guantanamo and Urges Closure

August 17, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, international human rights, international humanitarian law, liberty & security of person, privacy, regional human rights protection, reparations, right to life, security & rule of law, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

On August 5, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report “Towards the Closure of Guantanamo,” which examines the human rights situation of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Towards the Closure of Guantanamo (Report), 2015. The report concludes that detainees are subject to indefinite detention; torture and

Human Rights Council Adopts Landmark Resolution Regulating Private Education Providers

July 22, 2015 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, international human rights, reparations, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

On July 1, 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Council met in Geneva and adopted a landmark resolution urging States to monitor and regulate private education providers. The resolution aims to address the emergence of large-scale for-profit “low cost” private school chains that target poor families in developing countries and compromise the right to education. See UN Human Rights Council, Resolution

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

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

UN Human Rights Experts Summarize Recent Complaints against States

March 10, 2015 IJRC death penalty, international human rights, liberty & security of person, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures

On February 19, 2015, the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council submitted to the Human Rights Council a joint report summarizing all communications concerning alleged human rights abuses that the special procedures sent to States between June and November 2014, as well as State replies to these communications received from August 2014 through January 2015. See Human