International Justice Resource Center

African Court: Côte d’Ivoire’s Partisan Electoral Body Violated International Norms

December 7, 2016 IJRC African System, civil society, democracy & political rights, equal protection, international human rights

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) has issued a new judgment, holding that Côte d’Ivoire violated various human rights obligations in establishing a partisan election monitoring body ahead of the 2015 national elections, the first held since Alassane Ouattara succeeded Laurent Gbagbo in the presidency following an end to the country’s civil war. See AfCHPR, Actions Pour

ICC Releases Annual Report on Progress of Preliminary Examinations

December 6, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, extrajudicial executions, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, massacres, torture, transitional justice

On November 14, the International Criminal Court (ICC) released its 2016 annual report on its pending preliminary investigations into alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide. [ICC Press Release] The report details the Court’s progress on the 10 situations being evaluated for possible investigation, including two examinations initiated during the reporting period of November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016

UN Experts Warn Against Egypt’s Suppression of Civil Society

December 5, 2016 IJRC African System, assembly and association, civil society, human rights defenders, international human rights, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

United Nations human rights experts have recently denounced the suppression of the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations in Egypt through the use of travel bans and restrictions on foreign funding for non-governmental organizations. In the last year, UN experts warn, Egypt has prevented human rights defenders from leaving the country and drafted a bill to limit

News Clips- December 2, 2016

December 2, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Civil Society Reports indicate that Facebook has developed a censorship software to use in the Chinese market. [Guardian] The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders denounced the numerous travel bans imposed on human rights activists in Egypt. [OHCHR Press Release] Ahead of elections in Gambia that took place on Thursday, President Jammeh banned international phone calls,

New Resource: Manual on the African Human Rights System

December 1, 2016 IJRC African System, human rights defenders, IJRC Updates, international human rights, regional human rights protection

The International Justice Resource Center is thrilled to announce the launch of our latest publication, Advocacy before the African Human Rights System: A Manual for Attorneys and Advocates. This manual, which is part of our publication series Preventing and Remedying Human Rights Violations through the International Framework, is the result of several years’ work and benefits from the research and review

December 2016: United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session

November 30, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, children, civil society, corporate accountability, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, environmental rights, European System, family, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, massacres, migrants, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

In the month of December, various universal and regional bodies will be in session. Three United Nations treaty bodies will meet to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to torture, racial discrimination, and enforced disappearances. Seven UN special rapporteurs and one working group will conduct country visits, and three working groups will meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss

Turkey’s Seizure of LGBT Magazine Issue Violated European Convention

November 29, 2016 IJRC European System, international human rights, LGBTI rights, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association

On November 22, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Turkey’s seizure of all copies of a particular issue of a gay and lesbian non-governmental group’s magazine that contained sexually explicit images amounted to a violation of the right to freedom of expression. See ECtHR, Kaos GL v. Turkey, no. 4982/07, Judgement of 22 November 2016, para. 63 (French

UN Working Group Releases Opinions on 21 Arbitrary Detention Cases

November 28, 2016 IJRC assembly and association, children, conditions of detention, economic, social & cultural rights, family, health, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association, torture, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recently released 21 opinions adopted during its August 2016 session, relating to 58 individuals in detention in 17 countries. [OHCHR Press Release] The opinions covered several topics within the WGAD’s mandate, including the treatment of minors in detention, the right to a fair trial, the rights to freedom of expression and

News Clips- November 25, 2016

November 25, 2016 IJRC African System, Asia, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, crime & impunity, discrimination, European System, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society Following protests over the weekend and statements from the United Nations, Turkey withdrew a bill that would have granted amnesty to some perpetrators of child sexual assault. [Guardian] Thousands of protesters in Malaysia demonstrated against the prime minister, resulting in 15 arrests. [Washington Post] Authorities have started using tear gas and water cannons against refugee protesters in Bulgaria.

IACHR Publishes Standards on Rights in Context of Human Mobility

November 22, 2016 IJRC children, conditions of detention, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, labor rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, property, regional human rights protection, torture

On November 4, 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a report that seeks to address the practical realities of those in the context of human mobility and lay out the legal standards that should govern Member States’ policies concerning migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, persons in need of complimentary protection, stateless persons, victims of human trafficking, and internally