The Open-ended Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted by consensus the Draft Optional Protocol.
The document will be transmitted to the Human Rights Council.
With a few exceptions, notably on human rights in counter-terrorism, the Council has not made headway in promoting human rights.
Neither of the sound political calls from the High-Level Segment to ensure accountability and to fight impunity resonated with the Council, the ICJ said.
Human Rights Council Concludes with a few Accomplishments-Press releases-2008 (full text, PDF)
The ICJ today called on the Chinese government to permit the Tibetan people to demonstrate peacefully and called for an international investigation into serious allegations of human rights violations.
The ICJ in its intervention of 13 March 2008 deplored the Myanmar’s Government continuous gross violations of human rights, in manifest disregard of the Council’s repeated calls for reform and of the UN Special Rapporteur’s recommendations.
There are currently 1,850 political prisoners detained in Myanmar. The ICJ urged the Myanmar’s Government to receive the Special Rapporteur, who has not been allowed to return to the country, and to provide for an adequate investigation of the crackdown on peaceful protesters in September 2007.
Myanmar-HRCouncil Special Rapporteur-non-judicial submission-2008 (full text, PDF)
Tunisia: Conviction of Ebru Timtik Award Laureate Ahmed Souab marks escalating repression of lawyers
ICJ Honored for Championing Refugee and Migrant Justice Worldwide
Thailand: Swift action is needed to ensure access to justice for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence
Uzbekistan: ICJ and the Academy of Justice open the third cycle of the International Human Rights Law Course