May 18, 2009 | News
“Reviving Military Commissions is a setback for the rule of law. It will entrench a fundamentally flawed system with some amendments and set a terrible precedent to the rest of the world.”
“We need a clear break with the past and the laws and policies grounded in the ill-conceived concept of a ‘war on terror’,” said Wilder Tayler, Acting ICJ Secretary General.
The comment comes as the US administration announced that it would revive the suspended military commission system to try certain detainees presently held in Guantánamo Bay.
According to this information the administration will introduce amendments to the Military Commission Act (MCA) 2006 increasing legal protections, including the prohibition of evidence obtained by torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and the introduction of greater choice of legal counsel.
United States-Reinstituting military commission wrong way out-Press releases-2009 (full text, PDF)
May 15, 2009 | News
The ICJ is urging the international community to take further steps to ensure the Government of Sri Lanka addresses the dire humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.
Currently, up to 50,000 civilians are trapped within the shrinking conflict zone in the Vanni district on the north-eastern coast and 196,000 people have fled the conflict zone.
Sri Lanka-The International Community must increase pressure-Press releases-2009 (full text, PDF)
May 6, 2009 | E-bulletin on counter-terrorism & human rights, News
Read the 33rd 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.
May 4, 2009 | News
The ICJ presented today the findings of a worldwide inquiry by a panel of some of the most prominent jurists into the impact of counter-terrorism laws on human rights at the United Nations in New York.
The report of the Eminent Jurists Panel concludes that many governments have confronted the threat of terrorism with ill-conceived measures that have undermined cherished values and resulted in serious violations of human rights.
It illustrates the devastating effects that notorious counter-terrorism measures such as extraordinary rendition, torture, arbitrary detention, and unfair trials have had on human rights worldwide.
It also warns of the increasing secrecy preventing accountability, and the danger of “temporary” measures becoming permanent features of law and practice in many states.
UN leadership in counter-terrorism-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
Apr 30, 2009 | News
The ICJ is concerned that an amendment introduced to new security legislation on administrative detention of irregular migrants would contravene international human rights standards.
Apr 28, 2009 | News
The ICJ and other Human Rights groups are requesting the Attorney General to publicly explain his decision not to prosecute certain officers involved in an operation that killed 28 suspected insurgents five years ago.
