On 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
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Death Penalty & Human Rights: Comments of UN Special Rapporteurs
Although a growing number of countries have abolished the death penalty, 50 of the 193 UN Member States continue to either impose the death penalty or legally allow for it, and thus the death penalty continues to be widely debated internationally. During their presentations to the UN General Assembly in October 2012, two UN Special Rapporteurs presented their findings on
Read moreIn Catan and Others v. Moldova and Russia, ECHR Finds Violation of Right to Education
On October 19, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment in the case of Catan and Others v. Moldova and Russia, nos. 43370/04, 8252/05, and 18454/06. The case concerned Moldovan nationals living in the Moldovan Republic of Transdniestria (MRT), a separatist entity that split from the Republic of Moldova in 1990 but that has not
Read moreSouth African Development Community Tribunal to Lose its Human Rights Mandate
At the close of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit held in August, 2012 in Maputo, Mozambique, SADC issued a final meeting communiqué. While much of the communiqué was unremarkable, tucked away towards the end was a short paragraph stating: …a new Protocol on the [SADC] Tribunal should be negotiated and that its mandate should be confined to interpretation
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Commences its Final Trial
The final case pending before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) involves Goran Hadžić, the former president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina, who is indicted for persecution and murder of non-Serbs, as well as unlawful imprisonment, torture, inhumane acts, cruel treatment, forcible transfer, deportation and wanton destruction, and plunder of private or public property. Hadžić was
Read moreSpecial Court for Sierra Leone's Annual Report Focuses on Legacy as Mandate Nears End
Last week, the Special Court for Sierra Leone released its Ninth Annual Report on its activities. Article 25 of the Statute of the Special Court requires the President to release an annual report to the Government of Sierra Leone and the Secretary General of the United Nations. The Ninth Annual Report focused on activities carried out by the Special Court
Read moreWhy the Fuss? Understanding the Human Rights Council’s Resolution on Traditional Values
On September 27, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a contentious resolution on the relationship between human rights and traditional values. Though only two pages long, the resolution reignited concerns that State claims of traditional values might be used to thwart the existing human rights framework rather than strengthening it. Specifically, human rights advocates remain wary of traditional values language
Read moreThe Gambia Suspends Executions after International Outcry
President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia announced on September 15 that he will be suspending further executions of death row inmates. [BBC] In August, President Jammeh had unexpectedly announced all of the remaining forty-eight prisoners on death row would be executed by September, ending the country’s over twenty-five year old moratorium on executions. [BBC] The following Sunday, nine prisoners were executed
Read moreVacancy: UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced a call for applications for the position of Deputy High Commissioner with the deadline of October 15, 2012. The OHCHR, led by High Commissioner Navi Pillay since July 2008, is the main UN entity responsible for creating policies and programs to promote and protect human rights. The OHCHR
Read moreBusiness and Human Rights: Towards Greater Accountability
At the time of their establishment, international human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international covenants on civil and political rights and on economic, social, and cultural rights were intended to hold States accountable to mutually agreed principles. However, the international community’s understanding of human rights has gradually evolved to recognize that although only countries formally sign on to treaties,
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