Aug 30, 2023 | News
The ICJ expressed concern about attacks on the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka under cover of parliamentary privilege.
On 22 August 2023, Sarath Weeresekera, a former Minister and a Member of Parliament belonging to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the country’s ruling political party, made an inflammatory speech with racist undertones in Parliament, referring to T. Saravanaraja, the Mullaitivu Court’s Magistrate repeatedly as “a mentally ill person”, and criticizing a court order Judge Saravanaraja had made, while making personal remarks about him, including a mention of his wife. Judge Saravanaraja has been the target of this invective following an order he made upholding the right of religious worship of Hindu devotees at a Hindu shrine on Kurundur Hill, a contested religious site in the North of the country.
Aug 10, 2023 | News
In view of the participation of members of South Africa’s executive and judiciary in the annual African Bar Association conference, which this year is being co-sponsored by Family Watch International, an organisation that has been accused of spreading hate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary and other gender- diverse people (LGBTQ+) persons, among others, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Gender Dynamix (GDX) call on the South African authorities participating in this event to uphold the South African Constitution, human rights, equality and non-discrimination and denounce any attacks against LGBTQ+ persons.
Jul 21, 2023 | News
Today, the High Court in Pretoria was due to hear the matter of Democratic Alliance v The President of South Africa and Others. The Court agreed to hear the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) as joint amicus curiae (friends of the court). The matter was however settled between the parties prior to the hearing in which the state has agreed to apply for an arrest warrant for President Putin.
Jul 20, 2023 | News
Today, the United Nations announced that the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment will be one of the recipients of the prestigious award bestowed every five years to celebrate the outstanding contribution to select individuals and human rights organizations.
Jul 20, 2023 | News
The ICJ hails the interim order made by the Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal on 28 June 2023 directing the establishment of a “transitional mechanism ensuring the marriage registration of same-sex couples and non-heterosexual couples”. The organization urges the government of Nepal to promptly implement the order by setting up an effective mechanism for registration of such marriages.
