On 22 March the ICJ together with 8 other organizations submitted and amicus curie brief in support of an action by the American Civil Liberties Union to obtain information under the US Freedom of Information Act about the CIA’s use of drones to carry out targeted killings around the world.
CIATargetedKillingsMemos-AmicusBrief-Joint-USA (download the joint amicus brief)
La Commission internationale de juristes (CIJ) exhorte les autorités de Djibouti à mettre fin immédiatement aux persécutions dont sont victimes acteurs judiciaires et défenseurs des droits humains dans le pays. Elle leur rappelle aussi leur obligation légale de protéger les défenseurs des droits de l’homme et de garantir l’indépendance des juges et de la magistrature.
Under the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on the UPR will be undertaking a review of South Africa during its 13th session in June 2012.
In a submission to the Working Group, the International Commission of Jurists has focused on the issues of: access to justice, especially in the context of business and human rights; sexual violence, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; the protection of migrant rights; police accountability and oversight; and international human rights instruments and South Africa’s cooperation with the UN treaty bodies and the Council’s Special Procedures.
South Africa-ICJ submission UPR-analysis brief-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
The Maastricht Centre for Human Rights and the ICJ are pleased to announce the adoption of the Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
These international legal principles clarify the human rights obligations of States beyond their own borders.
principles obligations adopted-press release-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
Maastricht principles-analysis brief-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
Since 2009, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the strengthening and increased funding for the UN treaty bodies.
The UN treaty bodies are the monitoring mechanisms established under the universal treaties on international human rights.
To date, however, this strengthening process has inadequately addressed the need to strengthen, streamline and coordinate the Individual Communications procedures of the treaty bodies.
A coalition of NGOs has therefore issued a joint statement on the strengthening of these procedures, which represent a key aspect of the right of access by all to international justice in the context of human rights. The joint statement includes recommendations to States, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the treaty bodies themselves.
statement strengthening treaty body-analysis brief-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
The Senior Legal Advisor for the SOGI Project provided expert testimony at the Inter-American Court’s hearing in Bogota, Colombia.
The case concerns the decision by the Supreme Court of Chile to remove Karen Atala’s three daughters from her custody because she had begun living with another woman.
The expert testimony focused on the best interest of the child principle and how courts have held that discrimination on the basis of parental sexual orientation violates this fundamental principle of child custody decisions.
USA/Israel/Palestine: Immediately rescind sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
Strong push back against US sanctions on the International Criminal Court at UN Human Rights Council
ECtHR Grand Chamber Ruling in Semenya v. Switzerland: Joint Statement of Third-Party Interveners
UN Human Rights Council struggles to fulfil its mandate in the midst of global attacks on human rights, the rule of law and multilateralism