International Justice Resource Center

IACHR to Hold Hearings on Four Cases, 53 Rights Topics This Week

October 19, 2015 IJRC children, 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, LGBTI rights, privacy, property, reproductive and sexual rights, thought, expression & association, torture, women's rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is holding its 156th session from October 17 to 28, 2015 in Washington, D.C. [IACHR Press Release] The IACHR will conduct public hearings in four cases on its docket, and receive information from States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the 53 human rights issues, ranging from the human rights situation of LGBTI people,

ECtHR Finds Ukraine Protestors’ Prison Sentences Excessive, but Okays Caging Defendants

October 15, 2015 IJRC democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, thought, expression & association

On October 6, 2015, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) released its judgment in Karpyuk and Others v. Ukraine, concerning the criminal prosecution of seven applicants who were involved in mass protests in Kiev in March 2001. See ECtHR, Karpyuk and Others v. Ukraine, nos. 30582/04 and 32152/04, Judgment of 6 October 2015. The Court held that two applicants’ rights under

International Criminal Court Considers Investigation of 2008 South Ossetia Conflict

October 14, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, military and humanitarian intervention

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested authorization to investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia, a step that could lead to the eventual prosecution of individuals suspected of responsibility for directing or carrying out these crimes. [ICC Press Release: Prosecutor Requests] The Prosecutor has received information that

CESCR Reviews Burundi, Greece, Guyana, Iraq, Italy, Morocco & Sudan

October 9, 2015 IJRC cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, education, health, labor rights, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

On September 21, 2015, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) commenced its 56th session in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, which ended October 9, the Committee considered the reports of Burundi, Greece, Guyana, Iraq, Italy, Morocco, and Sudan regarding their implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). [OHCHR Press Release:

GQUAL Campaign to Increase Gender Parity on International Rights Bodies

October 5, 2015 IJRC African System, civil society, European System, ICJ, Inter-American System, International Court of Justice, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

A new campaign, GQUAL, aims to address the gender imbalance on international courts and human rights bodies, where women make up less than 25% of the existing membership. [GQUAL Press Release] The campaign will work to change the nomination and voting practices of States and the relevant institutions, to ensure that gender balance is a real consideration. Through its website,

Nepal Adopts Secular Constitution Amid Violent Protests

September 30, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, freedom of religion, human rights defenders, indigenous communities, international human rights, LGBTI rights, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, women's rights

On September 16, 2015, the Constituent Assembly of Nepal adopted a new constitution almost a decade after the end of its civil war. The country’s constitution, the first to be drafted by popularly elected representatives, establishes Nepal as a secular federal republic. The constitution also divides Nepal into seven provinces and establishes a proportional electoral system to elect federal and

Burkina Faso’s President Reinstated and Elections Rescheduled after Coup

September 28, 2015 IJRC African System, armed conflict, civil society, democracy & political rights, human rights defenders, international human rights, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Burkina Faso’s interim President Michel Kafando was reinstated on September 23, 2015, following a truce agreement between coup leaders and the national army. [BBC News: Reinstated; Al Jazeera: Coup leaders sign truce] This truce agreement came after the September 16th coup in which members of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP, for its French name: Régiment de sécurité présidentielle), calling themselves

Ecuador Attempts to Dissolve Only Remaining Independent Press Freedom Organization

September 24, 2015 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, thought, expression & association, UN Special Procedures

On September 8, 2015 the National Secretariat of Communications of Ecuador (SECOM) sent a letter of notification to La Fundación Andina para la Observación y Estudio de los Medios [The Andean Foundation for the Social Observation and Study of Media] (Fundamedios), a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting freedom of expression, that it was initiating an administrative process to dissolve the

UN Report Highlights Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka and Urges Creation of Hybrid Court

September 22, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, children, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, human rights defenders, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, internationalized criminal tribunals, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, military and humanitarian intervention, persons with disabilities, privacy, property, reparations, right to life, security & rule of law, thought, expression & association, transitional justice, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

On September 16, 2015, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, released a report on the human rights violations, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and gender-based violence, committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan government forces from 2002-2011. See Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Report of the OHCHR

Committee on the Rights of the Child Reviews 9 States’ Reports

September 17, 2015 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, children, civil society, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, family, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, international humanitarian law, labor rights, LGBTI rights, liberty & security of person, persons with disabilities, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

On September 14, 2015 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) commenced its 70th session in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, which will end on October 2, the Committee will review the reports of Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan, Poland, Timor-Leste, and the United Arab Emirates concerning the States’ implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child;