Mar 12, 2013
The ICJ today called on the Human Rights Council to establish a Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry on accountability in Sri Lanka for gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The ICJ delivered its statement today during the General Debate under Item 4 of the Council’s agenda (human rights situations that require the Council’s attention) as part of the Human Rights Council’s 22nd regular session (25 February to 22 March 2013).
Also noting the deteriorating situation of human rights and the rule of law in Sri Lanka, the ICJ pointed to the inaction of the Government of Sri Lanka as showing that it is unwilling to comply with its international obligations to undertake prompt, independence and effective investigations into credible allegations of gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
SriLanka-HRC22-Item4GD-LegalSubmission-2013 (download full statement in PDF)
Mar 11, 2013
The ICJ again called on the Human Rights Council to request the Security Council to immediately refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court and urgently take effective humanitarian measures.
Taking into account the continued and rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria, the ICJ noted the systematic and widespread attacks against the civilian population by Government forces, as well as serious human rights abuses and IHL violations by anti-Government forces.
The statement was delivered today during an interactive dialogue with the Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic as part of the Human Rights Council’s 22nd regular session (25 February to 22 March 2013).
Syria-HRC22-Item4-SyriaCOI-LegalSubmission-2013 (download full statement in PDF)
Mar 11, 2013
The ICJ has brought to the attention of the UPR mechanism issues concerning migration and asylum, criminalization of abortion and recognition of gender identity and marriage in Malta.
The ICJ’s submission comes ahead of the consideration of the human rights situation in Malta by the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (21 October to 1 November 2013). It includes suggested recommendations to be taken up in the UPR of Malta.
Malta-UPR17-StakeholderSubmission-LegalSubmission-2013 (download full submission in PDF)
Malta-UPR17-AdvocacyNote-LegalSubmission-2013 (download short advocacy note in PDF)
Malta-UPR17-ComparisonChart (download comparison of ICJ suggested recommendations against UPR first cycle recommendations)
Mar 11, 2013
The ICJ has brought to the attention of the UPR mechanism issues concerning judicial independence, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of expression and security measures in Malaysia.
The ICJ’s submission comes ahead of the consideration of the situation of human rights in Malaysia by the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (21 October to 1 November 2013). It includes suggested recommendations to be taken up in the UPR of Malaysia.
Malaysia-ICJ-UPR17-StakeholderSubmission-Legal submission-2013 (full text in PDF)
Malaysia-UPR17-AdvocacyNote-LegalSubmission-2013 (download short advocacy note in PDF)
Malaysia-ICJ-UPR17-ComparisonChart-2013 (full text in PDF)
Mar 6, 2013
The ICJ and the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) have addressed the Human Rights Committee on the issue of women’s access to therapeutic abortions in Peru.
In an alternative report for the Committee’s examination of the fifth periodic report of Peru under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ICJ and CRR submission addresses the failure of Peru to take steps toward implementation of views of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (KL v Peru and LC v Peru). Both communications concerned the failure of Peru to enable young women access to therapeutic abortions, found to have amounted to violations of the rights of the applicants.
Peru’s fifth periodic report will be under consideration during the 107th session of the Human Rights Committee (11-28 March 2013), following which the Committee will issue Concluding Observations and recommendations.
Peru-HRCttee107-JointAR-CRR-ICJ-LegalSubmission-2013 (download full submission in Spanish)
