Universal Periodic Review (UPR): 15th Session The 15th session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review will take place from January 21 through February 1, 2013. During this session, the Council will review and confirm reports on the human rights situation in France, Tonga, Romania, Mali, Botswana, the Bahamas, Burundi, Luxembourg, Barbados, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates, Israel,
Read moreHappy Human Rights Day! IJRC is celebrating the 64th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by offering our supporters a fabulous I Am a Human with Rights! T-shirt and the opportunity to double the impact of your support for IJRC’s efforts to inform, advise, and train human rights defenders around the world. Your Human Rights Day donation to IJRC will be doubled up to $5,000 by
Read more
What is Human Rights Day? Human Rights Day began in 1950 to commemorate the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948. Although the UDHR is not legally binding on UN Member States, it is the origin for binding human rights instruments that followed, including the International Covenant on Civil and
Read moreOn November 19th the UN Human Rights Committee issued its decision in Irina Fedotova v. Russian Federation, Communication No. 1932/2010, a complaint involving a form of codified discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation that has become increasingly prevalent. The Human Rights Committee found that the applicant’s conviction under the Ryazan Law on Administrative Offenses (Ryazan Region Law) which prohibits “public
Read moreOverview In March 2013, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) plans to hold a special session in which it will consider and potentially adopt a series of controversial proposals for reforming the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (“Commission” or “IACHR”). The adoption of the proposals will mark the culmination of a nearly two-year process that began
Read moreDuring its 52nd Ordinary Session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) adopted its first General Comments on any of its legal instruments‘ meaning. The General Comments pertain to Article 14(1)(d) and (e) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (commonly referred to as the Maputo Protocol), recognizing
Read moreOn December 7, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold two Extraordinary Sessions with civil society and users of the Inter-American Human Rights System to discuss proposed, controversial reforms to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights‘ mandate and procedures. The sessions will be held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC and will be preceded by a
Read moreOn Sunday, November 11, Syrian opposition groups signed a draft agreement to form the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary Opposition Forces. [BBC] Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib, a former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus who is considered a moderate and unifying force, was chosen to lead the new coalition. The Gulf Arab States have recognized the coalition as the sole legitimate
Read more
On November 5, U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, presented her annual report to the U.N. General Assembly. The Special Rapporteur highlights the obstacles faced by individuals living in extreme poverty when they attempt to access courts and other remedies. Linking access to justice to numerous other human rights, her report concludes that States
Read moreOn November 12, the UN General Assembly will hold elections to fill eighteen soon-to-be vacant membership positions on the UN Human Rights Council. As in the past, this election is controversial both for the lack of competition on most regional slates, thereby depriving the General Assembly of the ability to choose from among multiple States to fill the open slots, and
Read more