International Commission of Jurists
Country profiles on independence of judges, prosecutors and lawyers

Country profiles on independence of judges, prosecutors and lawyers

Jun 18, 2014 | News

The ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) has launched the first in a series of Country Profiles, a new online tool on the ICJ’s website.

Profiles on Myanmar, the Russian Federation, South Sudan and Swaziland are being published today.

Tunisia, Venezuela and Honduras will be added in the coming months.

By the end of 2014, all five regions in which the ICJ is active will be represented (Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, MENA). The CIJL plans to add further countries on an on-going basis, and periodically to update existing profiles.

Each profile summarises information about the independence of judges, lawyers and prosecutors in the country, and assesses the situation against relevant international law and standards.

The profiles aim to provide users, including legal professionals, academics, government officials and human rights defenders, with material in an accessible format which can also be used for further analysis.

The profiles reflect the efforts of the CIJL and other ICJ programmes to monitor the independence and accountability of judges, lawyers and prosecutors in certain countries, particularly those where their independence is threatened or under attack.

Moreover, the profiles provide reference points on the laws and the standards applicable to the independence of judges and lawyers and the administration of justice in each country.

The profiles can be accessed from the ICJ webpage for the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

They are available as an interactive database on the ICJ’s website, and can also be downloaded in PDF format.

ICJ submission on the Universal Periodic Review of Lesotho

ICJ submission on the Universal Periodic Review of Lesotho

Jun 15, 2014

The ICJ has made a stakeholder submission for the second cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Lesotho’s compliance with international human rights.

In January/February 2015, the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the UPR will consider the situation of human rights in Lesotho. Ahead of the Working Group’s review, the ICJ has made a submission in which it has identified suggested recommendations concerning:

  • The competence, independence and impartiality of the judiciary;
  • The right to freedom from torture and other ill-treatment; and
  • Lesotho’s party status to and engagement with international human rights instruments and mechanisms.

The recommendations of the UPR Working Group will be considered, alongside Lesotho’s acceptance or otherwise of those recommendations, during the Human Rights Council’s 29th regular session in June 2015.

Lesotho-UPR21-ICJStakeholderSubmission-LegalSubmission-2014 (download the ICJ’s stakeholder submission, in PDF)

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