From January 13 to January 31, 2014, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) will be holding its 65th Session in Geneva, Switzerland at the UN Headquarters. During the session, the CRC will review the status of children’s rights in six countries: Republic of the Congo (Jan. 13-14), Yemen (Jan. 14-15), Holy See (Jan. 16), Portugal
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Nepal Supreme Court Prohibits Amnesty for Serious Human Rights Violations Committed during Armed Conflict
Last week, Nepal’s highest court released a decision prohibiting grants of amnesty for serious human rights violations committed during the nation’s 10-year internal conflict. The Supreme Court found that grants of amnesties, limitations on criminal prosecutions, and the 35-day time limit on filing cases do not conform to the standards established by the Nepalese Constitution and international law. [OHCHR] If
Read moreRevision of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners to Continue at the Third Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting
From January 28 to 31, 2014, the United Nations’ open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on the revision of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMRs) will hold its Third Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil in order to continue the process of revising the SMRs. [UNODC: SMRs] The review process is intended to modernize the SMRs to reflect developments in
Read moreEuropean Court of Human Rights to Begin Implementing Stricter Requirements for Individual Applications in 2014
Beginning January 1, 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will apply several major changes to its consideration of individual complaints, pursuant to the entry into force of the new Rule 47 of its Rules of Court. [ECtHR Press Release] The changes to Rule 47 concern the form and content of initial applications themselves, and enforcement of the “six-month rule.”
Read moreEuropean Court of Human Rights Hears Extraordinary Rendition Cases, as "War on Terror" Controversies Continue
Over the past week, the European Court of Human Rights has held hearings in several cases relating to the “war on terror,” at the same time as the United States has forcibly repatriated two Guantanamo Bay detainees, despite their fears of persecution. The following post summarizes these developments and – in follow-up to this previous post – also surveys recent advances in other
Read moreCelebrating Human Rights Day 2013
December 10, 2013 marks the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the statement of fundamental freedoms and privileges that is considered to be the foundation of international human rights law. This year’s Human Rights Day also coincides with the end of a yearlong series of activities commemorating and following up on the 20th
Read moreAfrican Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Holds Public Hearings in Cases against Burkina Faso and Tanzania
During its 31st Ordinary Session, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) held public hearings in two pending cases, one involving the unsolved assassination of a prominent journalist in Burkina Faso and the other concerning alleged criminal due process violations and arbitrary detention in Tanzania. On November 28-29, the AfCHPR heard arguments on the merits in Beneficiaries of the Late
Read moreOn #GivingTuesday, We're Working to Fill the Human Rights Gap
On this international day of giving back, we are especially grateful for you: the donors, partners, online visitors, and volunteers who are helping make human rights a reality, instead of just a promise. With our #GivingTuesday campaign Let’s Go Global: Filling the Human Rights, we are working to ensure that advocates have the information, legal advice, and tools they need to defend fundamental
Read moreFour Arrested for Witness Tampering in International Criminal Court Trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba
On November 23 and 24, four individuals were arrested on charges of corruptly influencing witnesses in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case of The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo (ICC-01/05-01/08). [ICC Press Release: Bemba Case] The accused, together with Jean-Pierre Bemba, are alleged to have procured false evidence and testimony in Mr. Bemba’s trial on charges of crimes against humanity
Read moreSome Progress toward International Agreement at Warsaw Climate Change Conference
The 19th Session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Warsaw from November 11 to 23, was designed to bring the international community one step closer to the development of a new international agreement to address climate change. Representatives from the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
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