Jun 13, 2023
In the aftermath of President Yoweri Museveni signing into law the so-called “Anti-Homosexuality Act”, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) stands in solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Uganda. The ICJ vehemently condemns Uganda’s continual clampdown on the human rights of LGBTI persons and strongly denounces the passage of this discriminatory law.
May 11, 2023 | News
The ICJ today welcomed the determination by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka regarding the constitutionality of the private member’s bill entitled Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2023 whose stated objective is to repeal “provisions that make sexual orientation a punishable offence”. The Bill had been challenged by three petitioners who sought a determination by the Supreme Court that the Bill was inconsistent with provisions of the Constitution relating to Sovereignty, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy, and that it required the approval of a two-thirds majority in Parliament and the approval of the People at a referendum. Petitions in support of the Bill were also filed by a number of interveners, such as civil society organizations working to advance the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in Sri Lanka, academics, and activists, including Professor Savitri Goonesekere who had previously served as a member of the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, who had formerly been a United Nations Under Secretary General and the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict.
Apr 21, 2023 | News
On 17 and 18 April 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the People’s Matrix Association held a workshop with the Lesotho judiciary where a range of human rights issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) were discussed. The workshop took place in Maseru, the country’s capital, and was aimed at facilitating exchanges among participants, including judges and magistrates, with a view to enhancing everyone’s understanding of the human rights of LGBTIQ+ persons in Lesotho and the challenges they face in accessing justice and effective remedies for violations of their human rights. It was a follow-up to the initial half-day judicial engagement workshop co-hosted by ICJ and OutRight International at the request of Lesotho’s judiciary in October 2022.
Apr 20, 2023
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) recently published a new set of legal principles to address the harmful human rights impact of unjustified criminalization of individuals and entire communities. The document, known as The 8 March Principles, was elaborated and endorsed by lawyers from around the world and sets out a human rights-based approach to criminal laws typically penalizing conduct associated with sex, reproduction, drug use, HIV, homelessness and poverty.
Apr 14, 2023 | News
On 11 April 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) convened an online panel of five human rights advocates from East and Southern Africa to discuss the obstacles preventing organizations working to advance the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people in their countries from registering to operate. The webinar unpacked the advocacy and legal strategies that can, and indeed have been successfully used in some contexts, to challenge discriminatory laws and policies.
