Search Results for “international criminal law” – Page 44

Chadian Court Initiates First Trial against Habré-Era Security Agents

November 25, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, extrajudicial executions, International Court of Justice, internationalized criminal tribunals, liberty & security of person, torture

November 14 marked the start of the trial against 26 former security agents accused of committing murder, torture, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, assault, and battery during former dictator Hissène Habré’s rule in Chad from 1982 to 1990. [Reuters; HRW: Alleged Habré Accomplices] Advocates hope that the trial, set to take place before national courts in N’Djaména, Chad, will deliver a measure

IACHR to Assist Mexico in Investigating 43 Students’ Disappearance

November 19, 2014 IJRC civil society, crime & impunity, enforced disappearance, Inter-American System, interim measures, torture, UN Special Procedures

In response to the disappearance of 43 student protesters in the Mexican state of Guerrero, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has signed a tripartite agreement with the government of Mexico and a group of nongovernmental organizations representing the student victims and their families to provide technical assistance with the search for the students, the investigation and subsequent actions

UNGA Sixth Committee Advances Discussion of Universal Jurisdiction

November 17, 2014 IJRC UN General Assembly, universal jurisdiction

On November 7, 2014, the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly wrapped up discussions of universal jurisdiction with an oral report and informal working paper presented by the Chairwoman of the Working Group on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, during the 69th regular session of the General Assembly. [UN Press Release] The principle

Fourteen States Undergo Universal Periodic Review

November 12, 2014 IJRC international human rights, international humanitarian law, Universal Periodic Review

Fourteen States had their human rights records examined during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group’s 20th session in Geneva, Switzerland from October 27 to November 7. [OHCHR Press Release] At the 20th session, Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina all reported on the challenges and successes encountered

UN Treaty Bodies Clarify State Obligations Regarding Detention, Harmful Practices, and Refugee Women

November 10, 2014 IJRC children, discrimination, immigration & asylum, liberty & security of person, UN treaty bodies, women's rights

Three United Nations (UN) human rights treaty bodies have released new interpretations concerning the rights to liberty and security of the person; harmful practices impacting women and girls; and the effect of gender on the refugee status, asylum, nationality, and statelessness of women. These general comments and general recommendation flesh out States parties’ obligations under three UN human rights treaties. The

Argentina and South Africa Pursue Human Rights Abusers in Spain and Zimbabwe

November 5, 2014 IJRC crime & impunity, enforced disappearance, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, universal jurisdiction

Last week, South Africa and Argentina took major steps forward in the investigation and prosecution of alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and Spain, respectively. On October 30, the South African Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that the South African Police Service is obligated to investigate crimes against humanity, including torture, committed by Zimbabwean police in March 2007. [SALC

IACtHR: Guatemala Failed to Investigate Human Rights Defender’s Killing, Protect Family

November 5, 2014 IJRC civil society, democracy & political rights, due process & judicial protection, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, right to life

Last week, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights handed down its judgment in Case of Human Rights Defender et al. v. Guatemala, concerning the State’s failure to adequately investigate and address the 2004 killing of human rights defender Florentín Gudiel Ramos. See I/A Court H.R., Case of Human Rights Defender et al. v. Guatemala. Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations and Costs.

As Blackwater Security Guards Are Convicted for Nisour Square Killings, UN Working Group Pushes for Enhanced Regulation of Private Security Companies

October 29, 2014 IJRC corporate accountability, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, international humanitarian law, massacres, military and humanitarian intervention, security & rule of law, U.S. courts, UN Special Procedures

On October 22, jurors in a United States federal district court found four former Blackwater security guards guilty of first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis on September 16, 2007. The killings occurred while a team of security guards – code-named Raven 23 – employed by the private security company escorted a U.S. State Department

UN Human Rights Bodies Urge Venezuela to Release Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez, Ensure Protesters Are Not Arbitrarily Detained or Prosecuted

October 23, 2014 IJRC due process & judicial protection, Inter-American System, judicial independence, liberty & security of person, thought, expression & association

On Monday, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein voiced concern over the detention of a Venezuelan opposition leader, Leopoldo López, and more than 69 others who were involved in months-long public protests that began in February 2014 in response to the country’s ailing economy, high rate of violence, and sharp political divisions. “The prolonged

New Advisory Opinion and Country Visit by the Inter-American Human Rights Bodies Clarify the Rights of Migrant Children

October 8, 2014 IJRC children, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, liberty & security of person

Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights released an Advisory Opinion defining the scope of States’ obligations to protect the rights of migrant children and families. See I/A Court H.R., Rights and Guarantees of Children in the Context of Migration and/or in Need of International Protection, Advisory Opinion OC-21/14, 19 August 2014. State Parties to the American Convention on