The United Nations has embarked on the process to elect a new Secretary General to replace Ban Ki-Moon, who will end his 10-year tenure on December 31, 2016. In dramatic contrast to the selection of the current and earlier secretaries general, the public has the opportunity to engage with candidates through a series of open dialogues. Candidates were invited to
Read more
In the wake of recent revelations of widespread tax evasion by government officials and others, observers have emphasized the human rights concerns raised by lost tax revenue and secrecy in financial transactions. These funds, in particular, could have been used to lessen inequality and to advance the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights in countries around the world. [CESR]
Read more
On March 30, 2016 the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that the United Kingdom had fulfilled its procedural obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to conduct an effective investigation into the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes by government agents, who wrongly suspected him of terrorist activity. See
Read more
On April 5, 2016, the International Criminal Court (ICC) terminated charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto and co-accused radio broadcaster Joshua Sang due to a lack of evidence, following controversy surrounding witness testimony. [ICC Press Release] In part because of interference with witnesses and “political meddling” in the prosecution’s case, the ICC judges declined to
Read more
RightsCon, an annual conference on technology and human rights, took place in San Francisco this year with three days of panel discussions. The conference brings together human rights defenders, lawyers, engineers, government officials, corporate representatives, and technologists to discuss technology’s benefits as a tool for protecting human rights and its pitfalls as a catalyst for rights abuses. The conference was
Read more
During the month of April 2016, six supranational human rights bodies will be in session. These include three regional human rights monitoring bodies: the Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACtHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Each will consider pending cases and human rights topics of concern in their
Read more
The newly appointed Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, presented his first report at the 31st regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, outlining the priorities for his mandate, including clarifying the legal standards and a thematic focus on online privacy. See Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph A. Cannataci,
Read more
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role as leader of a rebel group based in the Democratic Republic of Congo whose troops carried out attacks in neighboring Central African Republic (CAR), in support of that country’s former president. See ICC, Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, ICC-01/05-01/08, Judgment
Read more
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Court) recently handed down its sixth merits judgment, in Onyango and Others v. Tanzania, a case concerning allegedly excessive duration of criminal proceedings brought against 10 Kenyans following their extralegal rendition to Tanzania. The petitioners are citizens of Kenya who were kidnapped by government agents tortured, and forcibly removed from Mozambique
Read more
Before the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 15, 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of human rights while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson, presented his report focused on violent extremism and the human rights implications of measures taken to eradicate it. See Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights
Read more