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 has written to the Zimbabwe Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, expressing serious concern about recent developments which threaten to undermine the independence of lawyers.
On the fourth anniversary of the disappearance of Thai lawyer Somchai Neelapaichit, the ICJ met with his wife and the UN in Geneva to renew calls for progress in the criminal investigation.
The ICJ told the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (‘UN Working Group’), who are examining the case, that it welcomed the continued investigation by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) to establish the fate of Somchai Neelapaichit, find the body and bring the perpetrators to justice. The ICJ urged the UN Working Group to remain vigilant in the case.
Thailand-ICJ urges United Nations to remain vigilant in disappeared lawyer case-Press releases-2008 (full text, PDF)
Read the 22nd 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.
Tunisia: Quash sham conviction and sentence of judges’ association President, Anas Hmedi
The UN Human Rights Council makes significant but limited progress in addressing human rights around the world, as atrocities multiply in the Middle East and elsewhere
ICJ hosts an African Regional Convening in Kenya on Transformative Equality Jurisprudence
Russian Federation: Arbitrarily detained human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler must be released