Read the 53rd issue of ICJ’s monthly newsletter on proposed and actual changes in counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices and their impact on human rights at the national, regional and international levels.
Kasha Jacqueline, a bold and courageous human rights defender, is a co-founder and Executive Director of Freedom and Roam Uganda, an LGBT rights organization.
Kasha has been at the forefront of the civil society campaign against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would impose the death penalty for certain acts of “aggravated homosexuality” and also criminalizes freedom of expression and association concerning promotion of homosexuality.
Uganda-winner of the 211 Matrin Ennals award-web story-2011 (full text, PDF)
Photo by Amnesty France
The United Nations Human Rights Council today convened a special session on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic.
By affirmative vote of 26 of the 47 members, the Council adopted a resolution on the human rights crisis in Syria.
While welcoming the content of the resolution, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) expressed regret that the Human Rights Council was unable to adopt a resolution on such a critical situation without consensus. The ICJ had called on the Council to take strong and unanimous action in response to the ongoing gross human rights violations committed by the Syrian security forces, including members of the Presidential guard and pro-regime militia.
Syria-finding mission-UN-web story-2011 (full text, PDF)
The ICJ today called upon Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the transitional government to take immediate, concrete, measures to protect human rights.
These measures should aim to end the practice of torture and arbitrary detention; pursue accountability for serious human violations; ensure that civilians are not prosecuted before military courts; and adopt, in accordance with international standards, legal and policy reforms necessary to establish the Rule of Law and effective democratic institutions in Egypt.
Egypt-establishment of effective democratic institutions-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
On April 21, the ICJ observed an appeal hearing at the cassation instance of St. Petersburg City Court.
ICJ Commissioner Gulnora Ishankhanova and Russian lawyer Maxim Timofeyev acted as the ICJ observers.
Russian Federation-appeal hearing-St. Petersburg-web story-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Russian Federation-appeal hearing-St. Petersburg-web story-2011-rus ( full text in Russian, PDF)
The ICJ today called upon the UN Security Council to take concrete measures to ensure the immediate protection of all people whose lives are under threat by the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian security forces.
Syria-protect Syrian population against killings-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
India: Joint statement urging Indian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender and student activist Umar Khalid
HRC60: Statement by the International Commission of Jurists in the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
HRC60: International Commission of Jurists in the General Debate under Item 2
Serbia: Political leaders must cease interference with the judiciary