International Justice Resource Center

News Clips- June 9, 2017

June 9, 2017 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, democracy & political rights, environmental rights, equal protection, European System, freedom of religion, health, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, News Clips, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Activities of International Human Rights Bodies and Experts Independent experts from the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a joint statement condemning recent attacks in Brazil on indigenous peoples’ rights and on environmental rights. [OHCHR Press Release] This week the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances announced its first visit to the Gambia

African Court Issues First Ruling on Violations Against Indigenous Peoples

June 7, 2017 IJRC African System, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, freedom of religion, indigenous communities, international human rights, property, regional human rights protection, right to life

In its first judgment on the treatment and rights of indigenous people, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) held that Kenya violated the Ogiek peoples’ rights to land, religion, culture, development, and non-discrimination. See AfCHPR, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights v. Kenya, App. no. 006/2012, Judgment of 26 May 2017. Specifically, the African Court held

Office of High Commissioner Launches Revised Guidelines for Investigating Unlawful Killings

June 5, 2017 IJRC regional human rights protection, right to life, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

At the end of May, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced the launch of the revised Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016) – an update to the original Minnesota Protocol, which was launched in 1991. [OHCHR Press Release] While the Minnesota Protocol is not a binding legal document, it seeks

News Clips- June 2, 2017

June 2, 2017 IJRC African System, assembly and association, civil society, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, freedom of religion, international human rights, labor rights, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, Universal system

Civil Society On Wednesday, a court in Bahrain ordered the dissolution of the last major opposition group in the country. [Washington Post] This week, it was reported that labor activists investigating alleged abuses at a Chinese factory producing Ivanka Trump shoes were detained or missing. [Guardian] On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians protested Israeli troops across the West Bank and Gaza

Canada Violated ICCPR in Denying Salvadorian Asylum on Gang-Related Claim

May 31, 2017 IJRC immigration & asylum, migrants, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

The United Nations Human Rights Committee recently found that Canada must consider the evidence on widespread gang violence, including the targeting of witnesses, in El Salvador when considering a man’s claim that his removal from Canada to El Salvador would expose him to gang violence and irreparable harm; the Committee concluded that the State violated the rights to life and prohibition

June 2017: UN Treaty Bodies, Human Rights Council in Session

May 30, 2017 IJRC children, civil society, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, international human rights, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

In the month of June, several United Nations bodies and experts as well as a regional court will hold sessions, conduct country visits, or convene a hearing. Three United Nations treaty bodies will meet throughout June to review States’ compliance with their treaty obligations related to the rights of the child; economic, social, and cultural rights; and torture. The United

News Clips- May 26, 2017

May 26, 2017 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, civil society, crime & impunity, discrimination, Inter-American System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, migrants, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

Civil Society On Wednesday, after eight weeks of protests, the death toll in Venezuela rose to 56 people. [LA Times] On Wednesday, anti-government protesters in Brazil set fire to a ministry building, and in response, President Michel Temer gave the army policing power to restore order. [Reuters] Violence & Humanitarian Crises On Wednesday, a bombing in Somalia, claimed by al-Shabaab,

African Commission Launches General Comment on Torture Victims’ Right to Redress

May 23, 2017 IJRC African System, children, health, international human rights, regional human rights protection, reparations, reproductive and sexual rights, torture, transitional justice, women's rights

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) recently launched General Comment No. 4 on the right to redress for victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment, which was previously adopted during the 21st Extra-Ordinary Session of the ACHPR. See ACommHPR, General Comment No. 4 on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights:

Luis Ernesto Vargas Silva Elected as New IACHR Commissioner

May 22, 2017 IJRC civil society, Inter-American System, regional human rights protection

On May 10, 2017, Luis Ernesto Vargas Silva was elected by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) to be one of seven Commissioners of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), replacing former Commissioner Enrique Gil Botero, who resigned on March 9. [IACHR Press Release: Election; IACHR Press Release: Resignation] Vargas Silva will fulfill the remainder

News Clips- May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, discrimination, domestic courts, environmental rights, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, News Clips, property, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society On Friday, an estimated 11 activists were detained in Moscow while reading aloud Russia’s constitution. [Guardian] On Wednesday, the government in Venezuela announced it will deploy 2,000 soldiers in response to the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators that have been protesting the government since April. [Guardian] Freedom of Expression & Access to Information On Thursday, independent experts from