On January 14, 2012, Efraín Ríos Montt lost the immunity against prosecution that he had enjoyed as a member of the national legislature (diputado al Congreso) since 2008, and previously from 1994-95 and 1999-2004. [PrensaLibre] After taking office through a coup d’état, Rios Montt presided over what is considered the bloodiest period in Guatemala’s thirty-six year internal conflict. As the
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Guantanamo, Ten Years On: A Look Back
Today marks the tenth year anniversary of the United States government’s use of the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to hold individuals suspected of supporting or being associated with al Qaeda or other groups – some, but not all, of which were designated terrorist groups by the U.S. government. See Mark Denbeaux et al., Report on the Guantanamo Detainees:
Read moreDraft ASEAN Human Rights Declaration Remains Confidential, to Be Completed in 2012
The Drafting Group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has finalized a preliminary draft of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, which is being considered by the AICHR this week. [AI] The draft, which has not been made public, is an important step towards the adoption of a final Declaration, which the Cambodian
Read moreBlackwater Successor Settles Two Wrongful Death Cases by Civilians and Contractors Killed in Iraq
Family members of Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater security contractors in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square in 2007 have agreed to a settlement offered by Academi, Blackwater’s successor (also recently known as Xe Services). [Washington Post] On September 16, 2007, Blackwater employees guarding U.S. diplomats opened fire into a crowd, killing seventeen Iraqi civilians in what was alleged by prosecutors to be
Read moreBahrain Update: Protests Continue, UN Team Finds Ongoing Rights Violations, Prominent Activist Beaten
Last Friday, prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was hospitalized after being beaten by security forces in the capital city of Manama following a large demonstration. [BCHR; Washington Post] Mr. Rajab believed the security forces to be nationals of Bahrain and of other Middle Eastern and South Asian nations. [For more on
Read moreInternational Human Rights Law as a Local Advocacy Tool : Video of Panel Discussion
On December 7, IJRC hosted Boston Human Rights Night, bringing together the legal, academic and social just communities to learn about one another’s work and discuss the relevance of international law and mechanisms to their advocacy efforts. Panelists Gabor Rona (Human Rights First), Martha Davis (Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy), Christy Fujio (Physicians for Human Rights), John
Read moreThe Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Cambodia’s Pursuit of Justice Has Value and Merit, Despite Flaws
Christopher “Kip” Hale contributes this guest post, the second in a two-part look at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Mr. Hale is Senior Counsel at the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Human Rights. Previously, he was a prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Co-Prosecutors at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and has
Read moreA Few Words from IJRC on Human Rights Day
IJRC advisors Katrina Anderson and James Ross, together with Jamil Dakwar, member of the IJRC Board of Directors, share their thoughts on the relevance of international law to human rights advocacy in the United States.
Read moreVictims’ Justice: Promises Broken on the Road to Trying the Khmer Rouge
James Bair contributes this guest post, the first in a two-part feature sharing differing perspectives on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. James Bair is an attorney in Washington, D.C. and a contributor to Enough: the Project to End Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. ______________________________________________ By James Bair In 2008, as part of an internship with Northeastern University
Read moreHuman Rights Day is the Final Day of Campaign 501 – Please Show Your Support Today
To celebrate its launch as a public charity, IJRC is conducting Campaign 501 to gain 501 supporters over the next 50 days, ending December 10 (Human Rights Day). Please make a contribution today; no amount is too small. Every dollar raised will help us inform, advise and support human rights defenders. The International Justice Resource Center (ijrcenter.org) is a new
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