International Justice Resource Center

Paris Climate Change Agreement Lauded, but Feared Not Strong Enough

January 8, 2016 IJRC economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, human rights defenders, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) concluded on December 12, 2015 with the adoption of the Paris Agreement, described as the first universal, legally binding instrument to impose specific obligations on both developed and developing nations to address climate change. [Earth Justice Press Release; BBC] The agreement will

Turkish YouTube Ban Breached Freedom of Expression, European Court Holds

January 6, 2016 IJRC due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, thought, expression & association

On December 1, 2015, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that Turkey violated the right to freedom of expression by blocking access to YouTube, a widely-used video platform, from May 2008 to October 2010. See ECtHR, Cengiz and Others v. Turkey, nos. 48226/10 and 14027/11, Judgment of 1 December 2015 (available only in French). The application was lodged

New Database Increases Access to Rwandan Genocide Tribunal’s Records

December 17, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, ICTR, ICTY, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, Universal system

A new database aims to increase access to the proceedings, evidence, decisions, and orders of the international tribunal created to prosecute those most responsible for the commission of international crimes during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. On December 3, 2015, the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) launched the Judicial Records and Archives Database (JRAD) to facilitate public access to

Updated Inter-American Commission Report Reviews Gender Equality, Women’s Rights Standards

December 14, 2015 IJRC crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, Inter-American System, international human rights, reproductive and sexual rights, women's rights

On November 18, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a new report analyzing regional human rights standards on gender equality and women’s rights, as well as their implementation by domestic judiciaries. [IACHR Press Release] The publication, Legal Standards: Gender Equality and Women’s Rights, updates a 2011 publication with references to norms and interpretations developed through 2014. Its

Happy Human Rights Day!

December 10, 2015 IJRC human rights defenders, IJRC Updates, international human rights, Universal system

All of us at the International Justice Resource Center wish our readers, clients, partners, and supporters a very happy Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day commemorates and celebrates the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s first universal human rights instrument. In 1950, the United Nations established Human Rights Day to increase awareness and appreciation of these

IACHR Welcomes Mexico’s Steps to Remedy Discriminatory Discharge of Soldiers with HIV

December 9, 2015 IJRC discrimination, European System, health, Inter-American System, LGBTI rights, UN treaty bodies

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) recently released its decision in a case concerning discriminatory treatment of two Mexican soldiers with HIV, after concluding that Mexico had complied with all its recommendations for remedying the violations. See IACHR, Report No. 80/15, Case 12.689, J.S.C.H and M.G.S. (Mexico), 28 October 2015. The complaint, brought on behalf of two former members of

Modernization of Forced Labour Convention Set to Enter into Force

December 1, 2015 IJRC children, economic, social & cultural rights, ILO, indigenous communities, international human rights, labor rights, migrants, women's rights

A new international agreement on modern slavery will enter into force in 2016, following ratifications by Niger and Norway. [UN News Centre] The Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 updates a 1930 treaty, including by addressing the increase of forced labor in the private sector and the vulnerabilities of workers in specific industries and at-risk groups, such

Reactions to Refugee Crisis May Violate States’ International Legal Obligations

November 25, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, children, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, European System, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, security & rule of law, torture, Universal system

The ongoing civil war in Syria has uprooted more than in 4.2 million Syrian refugees and 7.6 million internally displaced persons, and these numbers are predicted to increase. [UNHCR Press Release] A survey of individuals at a UNHCR refugee camp in Turkey revealed that more than half of them left Syria because it is too dangerous to stay, often noting

African Court Condemns Trial in Absentia, No Legal Aid, Delayed Appeal

November 24, 2015 IJRC African System, due process & judicial protection, international human rights, liberty & security of person

On November 20, 2015, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) issued its judgment in the case of Alex Thomas v. Tanzania, which concerned a complaint brought by a man serving a mandatory minimum thirty-year prison sentence for armed robbery. He alleged that the Tanzanian courts had violated his due process rights by trying him in absentia and by

African Commission and NGOs Review Human Rights Concerns at November Session

November 23, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, human rights defenders, international human rights

During its most recent session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) welcomed two new commissioners; examined four States’ human rights records; heard activity reports from its special mechanisms; and focused particular attention on the rights of women, implementation of ACHPR decisions, its relationship with non-governmental organizations and with national human rights institutions, and the intersections between international humanitarian law