Aug 22, 2013 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
With other nongovernmental organizations, the ICJ calls on the Human Rights Council to select candidates for Special Procedure mandates on the basis of technical, professional and other objective requirements.
Ahead of the 24th session of the Human Rights Council (9 to 27 September 2013), several NGOs, including the ICJ, today joined in submitting written statements to the UN concerning the selection of candidates for membership in the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances and for the mandate-holder of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The statements identify a checklist intended as an interpretive aid for the selection of candidates based on qualifications and skills; relevant expertise; established competence; and flexibility and availability of time.
HRC24-JointWrittenStatement-SelectionCriteriaWGAD-NonLegalSubmission-2013 (download full statement concerning selection criteria for the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention)
HRC24-JointWrittenStatement-SelectionCriteriaWGEID-NonLegalSubmission-2013 (download full statement concerning selection criteria for the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances)
HRC24-JointWrittenStatement-SelectionCriteriaSRHRDs-NonLegalSubmission-2013 (download full statement concerning selection criteria for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders)
Aug 22, 2013
The ICJ calls on members of the Human Rights Council, collectively and individually, to ensure that the establishment of truth commissions fully complies with the internationally recognized right of victims and society to know the truth.
Ahead of the 24th session of the Human Rights Council (9 to 27 September 2013), the ICJ today submitted a written statement to the UN identifying seven minimum criteria that must be adhered to for truth commissions to serve as effective mechanisms that contribute to the respect of the right to truth. Focusing on core aspects of four of these criteria, the ICJ explained that:
1. Truth commissions must be given a mandate that reflects the relevant material, personal, temporal and territorial aspects of the conflict or situation.
2. Safeguards of independence must be in place such that the selection of commissioners is undertaken through a non-discriminatory, inclusive, transparent process involving public consultation; ensuring appointment of a representative body based on candidates’ expertise, integrity, moral authority and demonstrated commitment to human rights and the rule of law; and allowing for removal in the case of incapacity, death, conflict of interest or misconduct.
3. Explicit procedures must be in place to give effect to victims’ rights to access to effective remedies and reparation, including appropriate compensation, restitution, rehabilitation and measures of satisfaction.
4. The operation of truth commissions must be in compliance with the State’s obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish acts involving gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, excluding the possibility of granting amnesties or other measures that result in impunity for individuals responsible for serious crimes under international law.
HRC24-TruthCommissions-LegalSubmission-2013 (download full written statement in PDF)
Aug 12, 2013
The Third Geneva Forum for Judges and Lawyers, which took place on 13 December 2012, focused on the role of the domestic court in improving access to justice. The report is now online.
In three sessions, participants discussed how domestic courts grapple with the tension of applying universal standards in the domestic context; the role of the lawyer in strengthening the protection of international human rights law and standards through domestic litigation; and how judges compare national integration of various international human rights law and standards.
Independence of the judiciary-Geneva Forum 2012-Publications-report-2013 (full text in pdf)
Jun 24, 2013
The ICJ issued today its Annual Report 2012 in a new format and design. It offers a concise summary of the work carried out by the ICJ over the last year.
This annual report does not contain an accounting of all the activities undertaken by the ICJ in 2012, the examples found in this report are emblematic of ICJ’s work and highlight some of the most important initiatives.
Download ICJ Annual Report 2012
Download ICJ Annual Report 2012 – Light version
Jun 20, 2013
This is the Report of the Legal Seminar organized in Geneva by the ICJ with the support from Geneva for Human Rights, FIAN International and Al-Haq on 31 May 2013.
The seminar was convened to provide a space for in depth discussion of specific cases that illustrate many of the legal and political obstacles that victims of corporate human rights abuse face in their pursuit of justice.
It is one among several activities the ICJ is undertaking with a view to assessing the need for a new international instrument in the field of business and human rights.
The seminar was held under Chatham House rules.
Universal-Report Corporate Complicity Legal Seminar-publications-seminar report-2013 (full text in pdf)
