International Justice Resource Center

First Older Persons’ Rights Convention Enters into Force in Americas

December 27, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, cultural rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, education, environmental rights, equal protection, European System, health, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

The Inter-American human rights system will soon welcome the entry into force of the world’s first binding convention on the rights of older persons. Costa Rica deposited its ratification of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons on December 12, 2016. [OAS Press Release; IACHR Press Release] Costa Rica is the second OAS Member State—following Uruguay—to

News Clips – December 23, 2016

December 23, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, privacy, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society This week, Human Rights Watch reported that police officers regularly mistreat prisoners in India through the use of torture and the failure to bring detainees before a judge soon after arrest. [Washington Post] On Wednesday, a civil society organization reported escalated violence against human rights defenders in Guatemala, including 14 murders and seven attempted murders this year. [FIDH]

East African Court Dismisses Property Rights Case, Critiques Burundi’s Judiciary

December 21, 2016 IJRC African System, international human rights, property, regional human rights protection

In a judgment adopted on December 2, 2016, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) did not find violations of the principle of the rule of law or of the right to property due to insufficient evidence provided by the complainant, but did analyze the conduct of Burundian courts and its own jurisdiction to review their decisions. See East African

UN Expert Decries Disability Rights Progress on Convention’s 10-year Anniversary

December 20, 2016 IJRC African System, discrimination, education, international human rights, labor rights, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

December 13, 2016 marked 10 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but according to one United Nations expert, States have yet to take adequate steps to realize the rights of persons with disabilities. [OHCHR Press Release: Lagging] Catalina Devandas Aguilar, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, described the

Migrants Detained in Libya Face Serious Rights Abuses, UN Reports

December 19, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, education, health, immigration & asylum, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, torture, Universal system, women's rights

A new report from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights details rights abuses against migrants held in detention in Libya. Published on December 13, 2016, “Detained and dehumanized”: Report on Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants in Libya, summarizes information gathered from migrants held in detention centers that are mostly run

News Clips- December 16, 2016

December 16, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, cultural rights, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, health, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, international human rights, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society Canada issued guidelines this week on supporting human rights defenders. [ISHR] Two UN Special Rapporteurs noted this week that the human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are frequently arbitrarily arrested and detained. [OHCHR Press Release] Protesters at a film festival in south India were arrested this week after refusing to stand for the national anthem. [Guardian]

Experts Convene for Symposium on Torture Victims’ Right to Rehabilitation

December 15, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, regional human rights protection, reparations, right to life, torture, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) held a symposium in Mexico City last week entitled Delivering on the Promise of the Right to Rehabilitation that brought together over 300 people, including clinical professionals, lawyers, researchers, and policymakers, from around the world to discuss rehabilitation of torture survivors. [IRCT Press Release] The IRCT is a membership-based organization consisting of

UNHCR Issues Guidelines on Refugee Status of Those Fleeing Conflict

December 14, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, immigration & asylum, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, migrants, women's rights

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued new guidelines relating to individuals who are fleeing their countries due to armed conflict and violence, seeking to ensure that States consistently apply international law when conducting refugee determinations and generally view these individuals as possible refugees. [UN News Centre] The guidelines are intended to resolve discrepancies in States’ application of

ICC Reviews Lord’s Resistance Army Abuses in Dominic Ongwen Trial

December 13, 2016 IJRC children, International Criminal Court, international criminal law

The trial against Dominic Ongwen, a child soldier turned top commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), began at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on December 6, 2016. See ICC, Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen. Ongwen was indicted in 2005 on 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which include gender-based crimes and crimes of conscription of children allegedly

News Clips- December 9, 2016

December 9, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, cultural rights, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, equal protection, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, ICTY, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

Civil Society This week, seven Tibetans in China were given prison sentences that ranged from five to 14 years. [HKFP] Egyptian authorities arrested a prominent human rights activist, Azza Soliman. [AI] Harsh winter weather forced demonstrators to temporarily evacuate the protest site at Standing Rock where they have been protesting the construction of a pipeline. [Washington Post] A Human Rights