Jun 4, 2009 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ and other human rights groups underscored the rejection by the international human rights bodies of the use of military prosecutors and courts in cases involving abuses against civilians in Mexico.
The organizations said that the jurisdiction of military courts should be limited to offenses that are strictly military in nature. It was pointed to the practices by the Mexican military prosecutors and courts that routinely investigate members of the military accused of committing human rights violations, which violate Mexico’s obligations under international law and appear to contravene Article 13 of Mexico’s Constitution.
Mexico-Joint Oral statement-non-legal submissions-2009 (full text, PDF)
May 29, 2009 | News
The ICJ is disappointed at verdict delivered by a Thai court.
“We are disappointed at the verdict delivered today by the Songkhla Provincial Court, which found that the 78 men who were transported from Tak Bai to Ingkayuthaborihaan Army Camp in October 2004 died as a result of suffocation, without acknowledging all the factual circumstances that caused their deaths,” said Roger Normand, Asia-Pacific Director of the ICJ.
Thailand-Court delivers disappointing post-mortem inquest findings-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
Mar 20, 2009 | News
The ICJ welcomes the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by the Government of Pakistan.
“The reinstatement of the Chief Justice is an historic milestone in reaffirming the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan,”said Dato Param Cumaraswamy, ICJ Honorary Commissioner and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges. “It will help restore public and international confidence in the judicial system, but for this to be effective, the Government must ensure functional independence of the judiciary, without any executive interference in the future.”
Pakistan-reinstatemt-chiefjustice-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
Feb 9, 2009 | News
The ICJ today denounced moves taken by Silvio Berlusconi to defy the decisions of the Court of Cassation to allow interruption of the artificial means of life-support to Eluana Englaro.
Italy-Government moves in the Eluana Englaro Case-press release-2009-eng (full text, PDF)
Italy-Government moves in the Eluana Englaro Case-press release-2009-ita (full text, PDF)
Feb 6, 2009 | News
The UK government and the new US administration must ensure that the independence of the courts, and their ability to disclose information essential to accountability for crimes of torture, is not undermined.
The main threat is the withdrawal of intelligence co-operation, the ICJ said in response to yesterday’s Divisional Court judgment in R (Binyam Mohammed) v Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
UK-US-Governments must not impede courts’ disclosure of torture allegations-web story-2009 (full text, PDF)
