The below letter, directed at Latin American human rights organizations, was published on April 18, 2013 by Venezuelan human rights coalition Foro Por la Vida and signed by a group of well-known Venezuelan advocates. It should be noted, the National Electoral Council has since granted a full recount over the next 30 days, although the scheduled swearing-in of President Nicolas Maduro nonetheless
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UN Human Rights Council Concludes 22nd Session with Resolutions on North Korea, Mali, Syria, and Human Rights Defenders
The United Nations Human Rights Council concluded its twenty-second regular session last week after adopting a number of decisions, statements and resolutions to address pressing concerns in a handful of countries, advance its work on a range of human rights issues, and call for greater protection of human rights defenders. [OHCHR] Among other notable decisions during the four-week session, the
Read moreExtraordinary African Chambers: Hybrid Court to Try Former Chad Dictator Hissène Habré
The Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court, opened on February 8, 2013 in the West African nation of Senegal to prepare a case against former Chadian president Hissène Habré. [NY Times] Habré has been accused of responsibility for the deaths of more than 40,000 people and the torture of more than 20,000 during his eight-year rule of Chad, from 1982
Read moreIACtHR Swears in New Judges, Hears Cases on Range of Issues during Ongoing 98th Session
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 98th Ordinary Session from February 4 through February 15, 2013 at its seat in San José, Costa Rica. [IACtHR Press Release (Spanish)] During this session, the Court will hear evidence and legal arguments from the parties in six cases pending before it, preside over private hearings on States’ compliance with three previous judgments,
Read moreIJRC in the News
IJRC’s work is a resource for advocates, scholars, journalists, and students around the world, and many, many legal research guides, civil society organization websites, and blogs link to our Online Resource Hub materials. The articles and videos listed below provide a partial sampling of articles in local and international news media that feature or refer to IJRC’s work. Washington
Read moreSyrian Opposition Coalition Formed as Human Rights Situation Continues to Deteriorate
On 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 moreCitizenship & Nationality
N.B.: Although the terms nationality and citizenship technically have two distinct meanings, international human rights courts and advocates at times use the two terms interchangeably. OVERVIEW The right to a nationality is of paramount importance to the realization of other fundamental human rights. Possession of a nationality carries with it the diplomatic protection of the country of nationality and is
Read moreThe Status of Guantánamo and Extraordinary Rendition Litigation before Regional Tribunals
On September 8, Adnan Latif became the ninth Guantánamo Bay detainee to die in U.S. custody. [NY Times] The military publicly announced Latif’s identity today, the eleventh anniversary of the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. Those terrorist attacks gave rise to a more public, aggressive and extensive “war on terror” whose features have included the use of “black sites”
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Reprisals for Reporting Human Rights Violations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, will present his annual report on government reprisals against persons who report human rights abuses to the UN at the Human Rights Council in September 2012. The Secretary-General’s report (A/HRC/21/18) presents numerous countries and cases where human rights defenders were subjected to intimidation and harassment by government for interacting or communicating with
Read moreGuantanamo, 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:
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