Oct 14, 2011
During its 47th session, the UN Committee against Torture will undertake an examination of the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Sri Lanka.
In preparation for this examination, and in response to Sri Lanka’s combined report, the Committee issued a list of issues to be considered during the forthcoming examination.
The ICJ has submitted a parallel report to the Committee against Torture, which includes replies to aspects of some questions in the Committee’s list of issues, and sets out concrete recommendations for Sri Lanka’s implementation of obligations under the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The ICJ’s submission addresses issues concerning: the definition of torture; the crime of enforced disappearances; rights on arrest or detention; habeas corpus; contemporary issues at the provincial level; non-refoulement; witness protection legislation; reparation mechanisms for victims; and the prohibition on the admission as evidence of information obtained by torture.
Sri Lanka-torture-analysis brief-2011 (full text, PDF)
Oct 11, 2011 | Events
On 29 September, the ICJ, the Maltese NGO “aditus”, and the UNCHR office in Malta organized these trainings with the support of the European Commission Representation in the country.
The trainings targeted stakeholders working with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as those not working with these groups.
The topics covered included general human rights principles, international refugee law, human rights in Malta, detention of migrants and economic, social and cultural rights. The primary aims of the trainings were to facilitate migrant mainstreaming and the promotion of a rights-based approach to migrant issues.”
Sep 29, 2011 | Events
The ICJ, in collaboration with Citizens for Justice and the Judiciary of Malawi will host on 27 – 29 September 2011 a Judicial Symposium on the Role of the Judiciary in the Enforcement of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The symposium, to be held in Mangochi, aims to bring together judges from Malawi and the their peers from the SADC region and legal experts in the field of ESC rights to discuss on their role in the domestic implementation and enforcement of ESC rights. It is expected that at the end of the symposium, Malawian judges and magistrates will have acquired enhanced practical understanding of international ESC rights protection and ESC rights adjudication. This will significantly enhance victims’ access to justice and effective remedies and considerably increase public confidence in the role of judicial actors regarding ESC righ
Malawi-concept note-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
Malawi-enforcment of economic social and cultural rights-event-2011 (full text, PDF)
Sep 22, 2011
The ICJ published today its observations on the 1 June 2011 recast of the European Union “Directive laying down standards for the reception of asylum seekers”.
Sep 16, 2011
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, transmitted to the President of the UN Human Rights Council the report of his Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka.
The report includes various conclusions and recommendations, including those directed to the Human Rights Council itself.
A coalition of non-governmental organisations has, by open letter, called on the President of the Council to issue a President’s Statement inviting the Government of Sri Lanka and the UN Secretary-General to present to the Council the Panel of Experts report and the Government’s own investigations during the 19th regular session of the Human Rights Council in March 2012.
