UN Special Procedures – Page 17 – International Justice Resource Center

News Clips – October 3, 2010

October 3, 2010 IJRC children, civil litigation, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, internationalized criminal tribunals, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures

In Ecuador, a state of emergency remains in place following last week’s uprising of members of the military against President Correa’s government, prompting human rights defenders to call for a quick restoration of full civil liberties. [CEJIL] The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the attack against Correa. [IACHR] Germany today commemorates 20 years of reunification and will use its

News Clips – September 20, 2010

September 20, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, crime & impunity, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, environmental rights, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures

In a heartbreaking blow to Afghan hopes for peace, several U.S. soldiers are under investigation for murdering at least three Afghan civilians last year as part of a rogue “kill team” that was allegedly formed when a staff sergeant who had served in Iraq in 2004 joined the platoon stationed in Kandahar province. [Washington Post] The French Senate has approved

News Clips – through Sept. 14, 2010

September 14, 2010 IJRC ATCA litigation, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, ICJ, ICTR, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, interim measures, International Criminal Court, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, massacres, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Syria welcomes its first visit from a UN special rapporteur, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, in a showing of increased participation with the UN Human Rights Council’s monitoring mechanisms, including its upcoming Universal Periodic Review. [The National; OHCHR] The Special Rapporteur estimates that 2 to 3 million people face food insecurity in

U.N. Experts Express "Serious Doubts" Regarding Arizona Law's Compatibility with Human Rights Obligations

May 11, 2010 IJRC discrimination, immigration & asylum, UN Special Procedures

Yesterday, several U.N. rapporteurs and independent experts issued a joint statement calling into question whether the new Arizona law targeting undocumented migrants (discussed here and here) is compatible with the United States’ human rights treaty obligations. The experts warn of the possibility of racial profiling, suppression of minority groups’ cultures, and unjustified use of detention. The statement also notes, in reference to Arizona House

UN Expert Welcomes U.K. 'Vulture Fund' Ban

April 20, 2010 IJRC domestic courts, UN Special Procedures

The United Nations independent expert on foreign debt and human rights issued a statement today, welcoming the British parliament’s passage of a new law earlier this month which will have the effect of banning ‘vulture funds’ created to profit off the foreign debt of developing countries by essentially buying the debt for a highly reduced price (often when the debt

New Publication on U.N. Special Procedures' Activities in 2009

April 2, 2010 IJRC UN Special Procedures

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently published its 2009 update on the roles and activities of the Special Procedures established by the U.N. Human Rights Council, which include country-specific and thematic special rapporteurships and working groups. See the report, “United Nations Special Procedures: Facts and Figures 2009” here. See the list of thematic special

The Week's News

February 28, 2010 IJRC democracy & political rights, European System, ICTY, Inter-American System, international criminal law, liberty & security of person, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Special Procedures

Human Rights Conditions * President Bachelet declares state of catastrophe following powerful earthquake in Chile. [Washington Post] * Interim government organized following Niger coup. [BBC] * Ceasefire signed in Sudan. [Guardian] * Waterboarding defended by former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. [New York Times] * Russia pushed for details on investigation of Chechen human rights defender’s murder in July