The ICJ responded to a questionnaire prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
The ICJ welcomes the resolution of the Human Rights Council adopted today on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka-ICJ welcomes HRC resolution-press release-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Former Swiss President and newly-appointed Chair of the Martin Ennals Foundation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, today announced the nominees for the 2012 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA). The MEA is the main award of the international human rights movement.
The submission undertakes a general exposition of standards and jurisprudence, followed by more specific attention to the question of administrative and preventive detention.
Pursuant to the call by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – one of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council – for written information to assist in its deliberations on “the definition and scope arbitrary deprivation of liberty under customary international law”, the ICJ made a submission pertaining to the definition, scope and content of arbitrary detention, under international standards and jurisprudence.
Following an overview of standards and jurisprudence, it focuses on administrative and preventive detention, including in respect of counter-terrorism measures, which has given rise to the most abusive practices by States in respect of the rights to liberty. It also briefly highlights the question of detention of migrants.
Submission working Group detention-analysis brief-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
In 2009, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights initiated the “Dublin Process” to encourage all stakeholders in the treaty monitoring process to provide suggestions for strengthening of the treaty body system.
In November 2011, following a serious of national, regional and international consultations, a group of treaty body experts and other stakeholders convened to elaborate an outcome document, known as the Dublin II Statement (available below).
The International Commission of Jurists has endorsed a 15-point summary of Dublin II outcome document, prepared by Amnesty International (available below). The High Commissioner for Human Rights will in June 2012 publish a report compiling the various proposals made during the Dublin process.
Building on the Dublin Process, the General Assembly adopted resolution 66/254 in February 2012, through which an open-ended intergovernmental process has been initiated to conduct open, transparent and inclusive negotiations on how to strengthen and enhance the effective functioning of the treaty body system.
A group on non-governmental organizations that regularly contribute to the work of the treaty bodies, including the ICJ, have identified a list of seven issues and corresponding recommendations that in their view should be addressed in the inter-governmental process (available below)
Effective functioning system-position paper-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Dublin II outcome document-publication-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Dublin II document 15 points-publication-2012 (full text in English, PDF)
Nepal: Balen Government Should Bring Human Rights Reforms
Global experts warn of eroding judicial independence amidst the rise of authoritarianism around the world
Development of the Crimes Against Humanity Convention
ICJ Publications on the Crimes Against Humanity Convention