Jul 19, 2011 | News
The ICJ today expressed its concern at the move by the Italian Government to extend the maximum length of administrative detention for undocumented migrants to up to 18 months.
The measure is contained in certain provisions of the draft legislation ratifying Law Decree no. 89 of 2011, approved on 14 July by the House of Representatives and now under consideration by the Senate, which aims at implementing EU Directive 2008/115/EC (“the Return Directive”).
Italy-migrant rights-press release-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Italy-migrant rights-press release-2011-ita (full text in Italian, PDF)
Jun 3, 2011 | Events
The ECOWAS Court has played a commendable role in upholding human rights and the rule of law and in imposing remedies where violations have occurred.
However, its much applauded judgements and pronouncements has been followed by poor state compliance and a gap of effective implementation or enforcement measures. Failure to move from good judgements to effective implementation or enforcement thereof has continued to seriously hamper the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court and to lessen public confidence in its role as a custodian of the rule of law and human rights in the West African sub-region.
In view of this, it is worth bringing together legal and human rights practitioners, academics and activists from West Africa to deliberate on mechanisms and strategies for an effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court. The symposium will be held in Dakar, Senegal, on 6- 7 June 2011.
Learning from positive and negative experiences from other African sub-regional courts, the discussions will focus on a wide range of topics, identify the role of sub-regional lawyers and human rights activists and put in place strategies for their active involvement in the effective implementation and enforcement of judicial decisions from the ECOWAS Court.
West Africa-judical decisions ECOWAS Court concept note-events-2011-eng (concept notes in English, PDF)
West Africa-judicial decisions ECOWAS Court programme-events-2011-eng (programme in English, PDF)
May 23, 2011 | News
Amnesty International and the ICJ today condemned the ongoing arrests and imprisonment of several prominent lawyers in Iran which they see as part of an orchestrated attempt to repress dissent in the country.
Iran-persecution lawyers-press release-2011 (full text, PDF)
May 19, 2011 | News
The ICJ today expressed its concern at the recent attack on a lawyer involved in a high profile case in Moscow.
On 13 May, Elena Levina, a Russian lawyer representing Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the appeal of his conviction on charges of theft of almost 350 million tons of oil and money laundering, was attacked as she was returning home late at night.
Russian Federation-Russian authorities-investigate an attack against lawyer-press release-2011-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Russian Federation-Russian authorities-investigate an attack against lawyer-press release-2011-rs (full text in Russian, PDF)
May 17, 2011 | Events
The ICJ and the Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum (SACJF) will be hosting the 2nd Judges’ Summer Colloquium on ‘Independence of the Judiciary as a Challenge to Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law’.
The event, to take place in Livingstone (Zambia), from 19 – 21 May, 2011 will provide space for a critical review of the current state of judicial independence in the East and Southern Africa region, by the Chief Justices from the judiciaries within the region, Judges from Zambia, and stakeholders from continental and regional institutions including the ICJ, OSISA, IAWJ, SADC LA, UN agencies, NGOs and academic institutions. Over 60 participants from national, regional and international institutions are expected to attend
Zambia-human rights and rule of law-event-2011 (full text, PDF)