Thailand’s Internal Security Act: risking the rule of law?
This ICJ report presents a comprehensive assessment of Thailand’s Internal Security Act (“ISA”) from the perspective of international law and standards.
ICJ report documenting the history of impunity for human rights violations in Sri Lanka
The report “Post-War Justice in Sri Lanka: Rule of Law, the Criminal Justice System, and Commissions of Inquiry” addresses the systematic absence of remedies for gross human rights violations in Sri Lanka.
Access to justice: human rights abuses involving corporations – Poland
This study assesses the extent to which Polish law provides victims of human rights abuses involving corporate entities with remedies.
Access to legal remedies and justice has become a crucial element in today’s work of protecting human rights in the context of business activities. It is also an area of primary importance for judges and lawyers who work promoting the rule of law and human rights. This study assesses the extent to which Polish law provides victims of human rights abuses involving corporate entities with remedies. Criminal prosecution and civil remedies are important legal tools that can be used to redress human rights violations committed by companies. At the same time, there are numerous legal and practical obstacles, which can render the process of pursuing justice difficult and/or ineffective. Disputes between individuals and/or groups and corporations share common barriers regarding access to justice. The realisation of the procedural principle of “equality of arms” is one such example: the frequent disparity of arms is aggravated when the victim (claimant) lacks high-quality legal advice and has limited resources, both in regards to time and money, whilst the defendant is a powerful corporate entity.
Poland-Publications-HR Abuses involving corporations-Access to Justice-2010-ENG (full text in PDF)
Acceso a la justicia: en casos de abusos de derechos humanos por parte de empresas – Colombia
El sistema judicial tiene varias falencias que hacen que muchos mecanismos a prevenir o hacer cesar los abusos de derechos constitucionales por parte de empresas sean poco efectivos.
El acceso a la justicia y a un recurso efectivo ha devenido un elemento crucial en el trabajo de protección de los derechos humanos en el contexto de actividades empresariales, asi como un area de importancia primordial para jueces y abogados dedicados a promover el estado de derecho y los derechos humanos.
El informe señala que a pesar de que la normatividad colombiana contiene una amplia gama de acciones y recursos encaminados a prevenir o hacer cesar los abusos de derechos constitucionales por parte de empresas, el sistema judicial tiene varias falencias que hacen que muchos de estos mecanismos sean poco efectivos.
La mayoría de los obstáculos identificados tienen origen en condiciones estructurales de la administración de justicia colombiana que se agudizan en los casos en los que las empresas hacen parte de los reclamos y litigios.
Areas de atención especial incluyen: proyectos y mega-proyectos de explotación y/o desarrollo económico que afectan comunidades indígenas y campesinas, y áreas en las que defensores de derechos humanos se encuentran desprotegidos frente a estratégias hostiles de parte de ciertas empresas y actores armados.
Colombia-access to justice corporations-thematic report-2010-spa (full text, PDF)
Access to justice: human rights abuses involving corporations – South Africa
Access to legal remedies and justice has become a crucial element in today’s work of protecting human rights in the context of business activities. It is also an area of primary importance for judges and lawyers who work promoting the rule of law and human rights. The South African legal system has considerable potential to ground liability and provide remedies for a wide range of possible violations of victims’ rights. There is room for considerable development and re-interpretation. This potential is not wholly realised in practice. The key constraint is the very limited access to legal resources that victims have. The key factors affecting the extent to which the potential of the system is realised depend on responses to this constraint. The most notable factors are the interpretative approach of the courts, the current lack of clarity in certain substantive areas of the law, the extent to which victims are connected to competent representatives, and the extent to which a speedy and cheap remedial mechanism is available.
South Africa-access to justice corporations-thematic report-2010 (full text, PDF)
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