Tensions have escalated in Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela in recent weeks as political protests have given rise to violent clashes and political upheaval. The United Nations and international human rights bodies have called upon each government to engage in meaningful dialogue to address these conflicts and develop solutions. [OHCHR; COE; UN News Centre] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasized that “there
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Beginning in April 2014, individuals will have the ability to file complaints with the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) concerning alleged violations of children’s human rights by participating States. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure (OPCP), which establishes the new complaints procedure, received its tenth required ratification,
Read moreFrom January 13 to January 31, 2014, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) will be holding its 65th Session in Geneva, Switzerland at the UN Headquarters. During the session, the CRC will review the status of children’s rights in six countries: Republic of the Congo (Jan. 13-14), Yemen (Jan. 14-15), Holy See (Jan. 16), Portugal
Read moreThe European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has confirmed that the implementation of Protocol No. 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights over the past three years has reduced its case backlog, particularly among the nearly 90% of applications deemed inadmissible. [ECtHR Press Release]
Read moreThe European Court of Human Rights this week issued a judgment concerning an employee’s termination due to his HIV-positive status, and the lack of judicial protection offered by the Greek courts. See ECtHR, I.B. v. Greece, no. 552/10, Judgment of 3 October 2013 (in French). The European Court held that I.B.’s termination constituted violations of articles 8 (right to respect
Read moreFollowing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s formal announcement on Saturday of Syria’s accession to the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), the United States and Russia revealed their joint Framework for the Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons. The concurrent release of a UN report containing
Read moreThe European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) announced yesterday that it has updated its country-specific Factsheets to include new information on pending and resolved cases, as well as its caseload statistics. This State-specific information provides valuable insights into the types of human rights problems being raised before the Court in each Council of Europe Member State, the nature and effectiveness of victims’ and advocates’ engagement
Read moreIn June and July, there are several key opportunities for civil society, and particularly for indigenous peoples, to become involved with the programs of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People, the Universal Periodic Review, and the UN human rights treaty bodies.
Read moreDuring a meeting of foreign ministers in London on April 11, 2013, the Group of Eight (G8) nations endorsed the Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, a new initiative to fight rape and sexual violence. Reiterating that rape and sexual violence are war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law under the Geneva Conventions, G8 foreign ministers pledged $35.5
Read moreThis week, the European Court of Human Rights announced the Grand Chamber’s judgment in X and Others v. Austria [GC], app. no. 19010/07, Judgment of 19 February 2013, in which the court considered whether a restriction on a lesbian woman’s ability to adopt her partner’s child violated the European Convention on Human Rights. In finding a violation of Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination)
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