Nov 24, 2011 | Advocacy, Analysis briefs
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)
Oct 17, 2011 | Advocacy, Analysis briefs, News
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)
Oct 17, 2011 | News
The ICJ and the Law association of Zambia jointly undertook the monitoring and observation the Zambian 2011 tripartite elections, which were held on20 September 2011.
Zambia-ICJ-LAZ statement-press release-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
Oct 11, 2011 | Advocacy, Analysis briefs
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)
Sep 26, 2011 | News
The ICJ is urging the Members of the House of Representatives to dismiss the draft legislation on evidence in criminal trials which could exacerbate further the already dramatic delays in Italian judicial proceedings.
The legislation would eliminate the possibility for a judge to reject the admission of “superfluous” and even “manifestly superfluous” evidence, allowing the parties to a case to call an almost infinite number of witnesses, and potentially delaying the case indefinitely. It also would make it unduly difficult to incorporate previous final rulings on the same case as prima facie evidence of the facts in the proceedings.”
Italy-length-criminal-trial-web story-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Italy-length-criminal-trial-web story-2011-ita (full text in Italian, PDF)
