Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor’s appeal against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been rejected. Last Thursday, the Special Court for Sierra Leon (SCSL), an independent tribunal established jointly by Sierra Leon and the United Nations, unanimously upheld Taylor’s convictions and 50-year sentence. [SCSL] The UN Security Council released a statement calling the decision “an important step
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Riots in France over Veil Ban Prompt Continued Discussion of Freedom of Expression and Religion, Stigmatization of Muslim Women
For the moment, the riots in France over the public ban on face veils have abated, but public discussion of the law’s possible infringement on freedom of religion continues. The riots, which began on July 19 in Trappes, a suburb west of Paris, were prompted by the arrest of a man whose wife was ticketed for wearing a face veil
Read moreNamita Gupta
Namita Gupta joins the International Justice Resource Center after working in New York for the six years as a Senior Staff Attorney at Mental Hygiene Legal Service, a state agency dedicated to protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of individuals with mental illnesses. She has also interned in the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former
Read moreECtHR Finds Mandatory Life Imprisonment without Possibility of Review or Release Violates European Human Rights Convention
In a highly anticipated judgment, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has ruled, in Vinter and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], nos. 66069/09, 130/10 and 3896/10, Judgment of 9 July 2013, that the “whole life orders” imposed on the applicants violated Article 3 (torture or inhuman treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights because UK law
Read moreIJRC Events
IJRC regularly hosts events and trainings intended to raise awareness of human rights issues and advocacy opportunities, and to build connections among activists and attorneys working to address inequalities and injustices. To keep informed of IJRC events in the San Francisco Bay Area, write to [email protected] to be added to the Bay Area Human Rights email list. For information on
Read moreUN Working Group to Hold First Meeting on Draft Declaration on Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas
The United Nations is one step closer to specially protecting the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, as the open-ended intergovernmental Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas prepares to hold its first meeting. [OHCHR] Underscoring the need to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate poverty and hunger by
Read moreUN Human Rights Council Calls on States to Safeguard Judicial Independence
At the conclusion of its 23rd Regular Session this month, the UN Human Rights Council adopted by consensus Resolution A/HRC/23/6 on the “independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyers.” The Resolution addresses a range of critical areas requiring State attention to ensure an independent legal system, from the impartiality of prosecutors to the
Read moreEl Salvador Allows Caesarean, but Not Abortion, to Save Life of Pregnant Woman Granted Provisional Measures by IACtHR
On May 29, 2013, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (the Court) granted provisional measures ordering El Salvador to take all necessary measures to protect the life and personal integrity of “Beatriz,” an ill, pregnant 22-year-old Salvadoran woman, in effect mandating termination of her pregnancy. I/A Court H.R., Matter of B. Provisional Measures. Judgment of May 29, 2013, para. 17.
Read moreThe Right to Legal Aid: Observations of a UN Special Rapporteur
On May 30, Ms. Gabriela Knaul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, presented her report on the right to legal aid to the UN Human Rights Council. Legal Aid as a Human Right In framing the report, the Rapporteur stresses that “[l]egal aid is an essential component of a fair and efficient justice system that
Read moreUN High Commissioner Navi Pillay to Present OHCHR Annual Report for 2012
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will present the 2012 annual report of her office on May 24, 2013 in Geneva. The report provides an assessment of the current state of human rights with respect to six thematic priorities and reviews efforts by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the last
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