International Justice Resource Center

Venezuela Implements Emergency Rule Amid Protests, Food Shortages

June 13, 2016 IJRC civil society, economic, social & cultural rights, Inter-American System, international human rights, right to life, thought, expression & association

Over the past weeks, Venezuelan citizens have reacted to a deteriorating economic situation and food shortages through protests and an effort to recall President Nicolas Maduro, while the State has responded by declaring a rights-restricting state of emergency and cracking down on dissent. [Vice News; IACHR Press Release: Detentions] At a recent rally, on June 7, 2016, hundreds of Venezuelan

Argentine Court Convicts Former Dictator for Conspiracy in Operation Condor

June 7, 2016 IJRC domestic courts, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international criminal law, liberty & security of person, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture

An Argentine court has convicted and sentenced former dictator Reynaldo Bignone and 14 other former Argentine military officers of crimes against humanity for their roles in Operation Condor, a transnational conspiracy behind the kidnapping, torture, killing, and forced disappearance of hundreds of political dissidents during the 1970s and 1980s. [NYT; CIJ] Bignone was convicted of participating in an illicit association,

Charter Launched on Including Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Responses

June 6, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities

A new charter on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in responses to humanitarian crises was endorsed at the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 24, 2016. [UN News Centre] The Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action encourages States and civil society organizations to consider the specific needs of people with disabilities in all

June 2016: Human Rights Bodies’ Sessions, Hearings, and Country Visits

May 31, 2016 IJRC children, economic, social & cultural rights, Inter-American System, international human rights, monthly overview, regional human rights protection, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal Periodic Review, Universal system

During the month of June 2016, supranational human rights bodies’ activities will include discussion of broad human rights concerns, assessment of specific States’ practices, and visits to three countries. Two political organs, the United Nations Human Rights Council and Organization of American States General Assembly, will convene to debate issues of concern to their Member States; the latter is also

Inter-American Rights Body Suspends Hearings, Cuts Staff amid Financial Crisis

May 30, 2016 IJRC Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection

Citing a severe financial crisis, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced on May 23, 2016 that it is suspending regular sessions and scheduled country visits effective immediately, and is set to lose 40 percent of its personnel when their contracts expire in July. In announcing the imminent cuts, the IACHR stated that the current budget shortfall highlights an

WHO Issues Guidelines on Rights-Based Treatment of FGM Survivors

May 24, 2016 IJRC children, health, international human rights, right to life, women's rights

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new report to help medical practitioners engage in a human-rights-based approach toward managing and treating health complications associated with or caused by female genital mutilation (FGM). See World Health Organization, WHO Guidelines on the Management of Health Complications from Female Genital Mutilation (2016). The guidelines identify the human rights implications of FGM,

ECSR: Ireland’s Inadequate Traveller Accommodations Violate European Social Charter

May 23, 2016 IJRC European System, family, international human rights

In a case concerning the right of Traveller families to adequate housing and caravan sites, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) held that Ireland violated their right to social, legal, and economic protection under Article 16 of the Revised European Social Charter because of the de facto insufficiency of accommodations for Travellers, inadequate conditions in the existing Traveller accommodations,

Inter-American Commission Refers Colombian “False Positives” Killings to Court

May 18, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, Inter-American System, international human rights, international humanitarian law, right to life

On April 14, 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) submitted an application to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), referring several cases that involve the extrajudicial killings by Colombian security agents. [IACHR Press Release] The victims were killed between 1992 and 1997 and were six of several thousand “falsos positivos,” a term used to refer to ordinary

Deterioration of Rights Environment in Turkey Violates International Obligations

May 16, 2016 IJRC conditions of detention, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, European System, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, international human rights, migrants, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

Human rights experts and civil society groups have issued repeated calls for Turkey to address the ongoing deterioration of the rights environment in the country amidst a failed Kurdish peace process, a sharp escalation of violent anti-terrorism operations, border guards’ attacks against Syrian refugees, and a severe crackdown on journalists and political dissidents. [Washington Post; CPJ] In a statement delivered

Documentation, Local Prosecutions Advance Accountability for War Crimes in Syria

May 12, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, civil society, domestic courts, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, right to life, torture

Germany recently began its first prosecution for alleged war crimes in Syria, joining the several States and private actors seeking accountability for atrocities committed in the ongoing conflict in Syria. [The New Arab] Despite the lack of a final peace agreement, human rights experts are encouraging State governments to take steps to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes