High Commissioner for Human Rights Seeks Civil Society Input on Nominations and Reports

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is soliciting input on pending reports, feedback on its management plan, and nominations for newly-created special procedures from civil society in April and May. Candidates for Special Rapporteurs for Mali and Haiti OHCHR seeks the proposal of independent experts for nomination to one year Special Rapporteur mandates reporting

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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

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Inter-American Commission and Court to Address Broad Range of Human Rights Issues in March Hearings

The two bodies of the Inter-American human rights system will be in session this month to consider issues of concern in the Americas and to receive testimony in pending contentious cases. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hold its 147th Session from March 7 to 22, with public hearings taking place on March 11-12 and 14-16 at the Commission’s headquarters

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Citizenship & 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

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Robin Miller

As a law fellow for IJRC, Robin Miller writes articles  on recent developments in international law. Robin has a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law, a master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. from Wellesley College, where she majored in Sociology. During law school Robin was a student attorney with Boston

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Asylum & the Rights of Refugees

  OVERVIEW States have been granting protection to individuals and groups fleeing persecution for centuries; however, the modern refugee regime is largely the product of the second half of the twentieth century. Like international human rights law, modern refugee law has its origins in the aftermath of World War II as well as the refugee crises of the interwar years

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Caribbean Court of Justice

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) settles disputes between Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States, and also serves as the highest court of appeals on civil and criminal matters for the national courts of Barbados, Belize and Guyana. The CCJ’s seat is in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Court of Justice does not have competence to hear individual

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IJRC Publications

In addition to the below guides and manuals, also see our series of shorter references, including our Thematic Research Guides on specific human rights topics, Country Factsheets, and system-specific summaries of the Exhaustion of Domestic Remedies requirement. Researching International Human Rights Law (Jan. 2022 update)             Civil Society Access to International Oversight Bodies: Inter-American Commission

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Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Assigns Rapporteurships

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights assigned thematic and country rapporteurships to each of the seven Commissioners at the end of January. [Press Release] In addition to their responsibilities for deciding the admissibility and merits of petitions, granting precautionary measures, and referring cases to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Commissioners individually lead the IACHR’s promotion and monitoring duties

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Boston Human Rights Night

On December 7, 2011, IJRC hosted Boston Human Rights Night, an opportunity for the legal, academic, and activist communities to deepen their collaboration, share experiences, and celebrate their work. An expert panel provided detail and valuable insights on using international legal standards and international human rights mechanisms to promote and enforce human rights in the United States and abroad. Organizations

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