The ICJ is disappointed by the decision of the UN Human Rights Council to defer the discussion of a global study on secret detention, torture and enforced disappearances in the name of counter-terrorism in 80 countries.
The ICJ today welcomed the affirmation by the UN Human Rights Council that human rights and the rule of law must not be forgotten behind the humanitarian crises in Haiti.
“The immediate priority is to ensure that relief efforts are used to address urgent and compelling human rights concerns, the rights to food, health and housing. Haiti and the international community through international cooperation and assistance will then need to adopt specific rule of law strategies to enhance legal system and foster good governance as a precondition for realization of human rights in Haiti,” said Lukas Machon, ICJ Representative to the UN.
Haiti- law rights guide -Press Release-2009 (full text in English, PDF)
The ICJ addressed the UN Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, meeting on a potential communications procedure for children claiming to be victims of violations.
UN-complaints procedure for the rights of the child-statement-2011
The ICJ yesterday briefed the members of the UN Security Council on the impact of counter-terrorism policies on human rights and on ways to re-affirm and integrate human rights into the UN.
UN-integrate human rights in counter-terrorism-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
The ICJ addresses the practice of incommunicado detention, and the transfer of persons as part of the alleged cooperation of Spain in the US-led renditions programme.
The ICJ also draws attention to the threat to judicial independence posed by the recent prosecution of Investigative Judge Baltasar Garzón Real; to the recent limitations introduced on the use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes under international law; and to the limited scope of the offence of torture contained in the Criminal Code.
Universal Periodic Review Spain-non-legal submission-2009 (full text, PDF)
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