International Justice Resource Center

DR Congo Parliament Approves New Amnesty Law for Insurgency and Other Crimes, as Part of Agreement with M23 Rebel Group

February 10, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, International Criminal Court, international human rights, international humanitarian law, transitional justice

The parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has approved legislation granting amnesty for acts of insurgency, acts of war, and political offenses, while excluding amnesty for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. [UN News Centre] This amnesty proposal originated as part of the December 2013 agreement to end fighting between the DRC army and the M23

IACtHR to Hear Cases Involving Extrajudicial Killings in Peru, Guatemala, and Venezuela during 102nd Regular Session

February 4, 2014 IJRC children, crime & impunity, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, interim measures, international human rights, liberty & security of person, right to life, security & rule of law

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will hear expert and witness testimony in three pending cases concerning extrajudicial executions, convene two private hearings on States’ compliance with prior decisions, and deliberate on the merits of two cases concerning alleged criminal due process violations during its ongoing 102nd Regular Session, being held from January 27 through February 7 at its headquarters

UN Human Rights Council Holds 18th Session of the Universal Periodic Review

February 3, 2014 IJRC international human rights, UN Human Rights Council, Universal Periodic Review

From January 27 to February 7, the Human Rights Council is holding its 18th Session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group, to examine the human rights practices of 14 States through an interactive dialogue. [OHCHR] In order of scheduled review, the 14 States are: New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Cambodia, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, Macedonia, Comoros, Slovakia, Eritrea, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam.

With Đorđević Appeals Judgment, ICTY Concludes Final Case Concerning Kosovo

January 29, 2014 IJRC ICTY, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law

On January 27, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) confirmed Vlastimir Đorđević’s conviction in relation to crimes committed by Serbian forces against Albanians, during the conflict in Kosovo. [ICTY: Appeal Judgment Summary] It partially granted appeals raised by both the prosecution and defense, reducing Đorđević’s sentence from 27 to 18 years. This judgment

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to Begin Receiving Individual Complaints in April

January 27, 2014 IJRC children, international human rights, UN treaty bodies

Beginning in April 2014, individuals will have the ability to file complaints with the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) concerning alleged violations of children’s human rights by participating States. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPCP), which establishes the new complaints procedure, received its tenth required ratification,

UN Establishes Commission of Inquiry and Independent Expert on Central African Republic, as Widespread Human Rights Violations Continue

January 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, military and humanitarian intervention, right to life, security & rule of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, UN Special Procedures

Amid ongoing sectarian violence in the Central African Republic, including reported war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations has established two expert mechanisms to monitor the human rights situation, but has so far stopped short of authorizing a UN peacekeeping mission to support the French and African Union troops already in the country. Hundreds have been killed and

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Opens Trial of 4 Accused in Rafiq Hariri Assassination, in Abstentia

January 23, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, international criminal law, internationalized criminal tribunals, right to life, UN Security Council

Last week, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) opened the trial proceedings against Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra for the Beirut bombing that killed 22 individuals, including the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, on February 14, 2005. See STL, Prosecutor v. Ayyash et al. (Case STL-11-01), Indictment (Public Redacted Version), 10

ECtHR Finds Granting Civil Immunity for Torture to Foreign State Officials Does Not Violate European Convention on Human Rights

January 21, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, due process & judicial protection, European System, international human rights, torture

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a judgment last week upholding a British court’s grant of immunity to Saudi Arabia and Saudi officials who allegedly tortured British citizens. See ECtHR, Jones and Others v. United Kingdom, nos. 34356/06 and 40528/06, ECHR 2014, Judgment of 14 January 2014. The UK House of Lords had blocked the plaintiffs’ civil suits

ECtHR Finds Mandatory Transmission of Father’s Surname to Child is Discriminatory

January 15, 2014 IJRC children, European System, family, privacy

Last week, the European Court of Human Rights released a decision in favor of Italian parents whose attempts to give their child her mother’s surname were frustrated by the State’s adherence to traditional naming practices. ECtHR, Cusan and Fazzo v. Italy, no. 77/07, Judgment of 7 January 2014 (French only). The Court found the State’s refusal to allow a mother