International Justice Resource Center

News Clips – August 26, 2016

August 26, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, civil society, corporate accountability, democracy & political rights, domestic courts, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Civil Society A member of the United Democratic Party, an opposition political party in Gambia, died while in detention last Saturday, prompting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn the death and conditions of detention. [UN News Centre] The Ethiopian government announced this week that it will not prosecute the Olympic athlete who publically

UN Secretary General Reports Treaty Bodies More Effective and Efficient

August 22, 2016 IJRC international human rights, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

On August 2, 2016 United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, published the first biennial report on efforts to strengthen the UN treaty bodies, as part of an ongoing process to harmonize working methods, improve State compliance, and ensure adequate resources for these independent human rights monitoring bodies. [OHCHR Press Release; IJRC] The report covers the implementation of General Assembly Resolution 68/268,

News Clips- August 19, 2016

August 19, 2016 IJRC African System, armed conflict, assembly and association, ATCA litigation, children, civil litigation, civil society, conditions of detention, corporate accountability, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Civil Society Ahead of a constitutional referendum scheduled for September, Azerbaijani authorities have arrested several activists critical of the government within the last week. [RSF] In order to make room for civil society members arrested after the coup, Turkey announced that it will release inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses from its prisons. [NYT] Following the recent re-election of Zambia’s president,

UN Reports Increase in Civilian Casualties, Rights Abuses in Afghanistan

August 16, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, children, crime & impunity, economic, social & cultural rights, education, extrajudicial executions, health, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, right to life, thought, expression & association, Universal system, women's rights

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently published a report on the upswing in civilian casualties in the first six months of 2016. [UNAMA Press Release] More than 5,000 civilians were killed or maimed, the highest number of such casualties in Afghanistan in a six-month period since 2009 and one that includes significant numbers of women and children.

ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Enhances Transparency, Publishes Report

August 15, 2016 IJRC Asia, children, corporate accountability, international human rights, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, women's rights

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) published on August 1, 2016 its annual report on activities and progress for the period of July 2015 to July 2016, marking the first time an AICHR annual report was made public on its website. [AICHR Press Release] The AICHR, a regional human rights body founded in 2009 under the auspices of

News Clips- August 12, 2016

August 12, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, children, civil litigation, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, military and humanitarian intervention, News Clips, privacy, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, Universal system

International Criminal Law Nada Kiswanson, a permanent representative at the International Criminal Court who works on evidence of war crimes in Palestine, has received death threats. [MEMO] The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh issued sentences to eight individuals for crimes against humanity. [Jurist] German investigators have identified eight individuals who they suspect of war crimes during the Nazi era. [The

International Organization for Migration to Join United Nations System

August 9, 2016 IJRC immigration & asylum, migrants, UN General Assembly, Universal system

The intergovernmental organization responsible for facilitating and promoting orderly and humane migration management is set to formally join the United Nations system. On July 25, 2016 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution approving a draft agreement to make the International Organization for Migration (IOM) a related organization. [UN News Centre: IOM] The agreement will supersede a previous 1996 cooperation

Extraordinary African Chambers Grants Reparations to Victims in Habré Case

August 8, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, crime & impunity, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, international criminal law, liberty & security of person, reparations, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture

Following a May 2016 conviction for crimes against humanity, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) issued an order on July 29 for Hissène Habré to pay monetary reparations to thousands of victims. The former president of Chad was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes including murder, summary executions, kidnapping, rape, and sexual slavery committed during his 1982 – 1990 rule. [Guardian] Although

News Clips- August 5, 2016

August 5, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, civil society, conditions of detention, corporate accountability, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society & Human Rights Defenders After a video revealed the harassment of aboriginal boys in detention in an Australian jail, Australians protested, demanding an investigation. [Al Jazeera] A human rights lawyer in China, Wang Yu, who was in detention for over a year, made a public confession this week that appeared scripted. [Washington Post] A court in Bahrain postponed