Last week, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights announced the schedule for its 61st extraordinary session, to be held from April 12 to 16 in Lima, Peru. The Court will hold hearings regarding three cases in order to emit the corresponding judgments on merits and reparations later this year. Ibsen Cardenas and Ibsen Pena v. Bolivia deals with the enforced
Read moreSearch Results for: arbitrary detention
Deaths and Harassment of Honduran Activists Lamented
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights today condemned the acts of violence and harassment in recent months against individuals involved in the resistance to the coup d’etat which took place in Honduras last June. Such acts included the deaths of three individuals and the torture and arbitrary detention of others. See the Commission’s statement here, and its report on human
Read moreDomestic Prosecutions and Civil Suits
This section covers criminal prosecutions carried out in domestic courts of crimes committed in the national territory, as well as civil suits heard in domestic courts regarding events that occurred in the country or abroad. Also, for a user-friendly introduction to significant domestic precedents with regard to implementation of international humanitarian law, see the International Committee of the Red Cross’
Read moreSpecial Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council
THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’S SPECIAL PROCEDURES The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council serves several functions, one of which is to promote and monitor human rights worldwide through the establishment of special procedures. Special procedures are independent human rights experts who work individually or in groups to report and advise on human rights issues. They are referred to by many
Read more
African Rights Court Issues Landmark Advisory Opinion Rejecting Vagrancy Laws
On December 4, 2020, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) published and delivered an advisory opinion declaring national laws that criminalize vagrancy to be incompatible with human rights standards. [AfCHPR Press Release] The opinion concludes that laws that essentially criminalize homelessness, poverty, or unemployment are overly broad and allow for abuse. The Court held that such laws
Read more
Germany Arrests Gambian Ex-Soldiers, As Transitional Justice Efforts Continue
Germany has arrested seven asylum seekers from The Gambia who are suspected of having committed crimes against humanity during the 22-year rule of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. [TDN] The arrests come as The Gambia takes steps towards justice and reconciliation, primarily via its Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which has been holding public hearings since January 2019. [JusticeInfo]
Read more
OHCHR & Human Rights Committee Address Derogations During COVID-19
The United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have published new guidance on derogations from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in light of reports indicating that States have or are considering implementing emergency measures in response to the COVID-19 health crisis. [OHCHR Press Release] While some States
Read moreKrnojelac
This case summary is part of a collection of summaries describing the cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). See the Online Resource Hub pages on the ICTY and International Criminal Law, and the table of ICTY case summaries for additional information. Krnojelac (IT-97-25) “Foča” Trial Judgment: 15 March 2002; Appeal Judgment: 17 September 2003 Milorad
Read more
Ethiopia: Mass Arrests Seen as Setback Amid Recent Progress
In recent weeks, the Ethiopian government has retreated from democratic reforms by arresting more than 1,200 individuals, killing several dozen, sending arrestees to “rehabilitation” camps, and shutting off mobile internet access as violence and protests reached the capital. [NYTimes: Arrests; Quartz] Among other reforms, new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had welcomed previously-outlawed opposition groups to return to Ethiopia and reopened
Read more
Conflicts in Cameroon Escalate, Human Rights Experts Respond
In the past month, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on Cameroon to launch an investigation into persistent reports of a deteriorating human rights situation in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, including to investigate a video showing the alleged extrajudicial executions of a
Read more