Jul 23, 2014
The UN Human Rights Council today decided to establish an independent, international commission of enquiry to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip.
The Human Rights Council’s decision, in its Resolution S-21/1, came at the conclusion of a special session of the Council on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The ICJ itself called on the establishment of a commission of enquiry, emphasising that certain attacks by the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian armed groups constituted crimes under international law and that all perpetrators must be held to account.
The newly established commission of inquiry will report to the Human Rights Council at its 28th regular session in February-March 2015.
OPT-HRC-SpecialSession-OralStatement-2014 (download ICJ oral statement in PDF)
A-HRC-RES-S-21-1_en (download Human Rights Council Resolution S-21/1 in Word)
Go to webpage on ICJ’s written statement to the Human Rights Council
Jul 22, 2014
The ICJ today presented a statement to the UN Human Rights Council ahead of tomorrow’s special session on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The Human Rights Council will tomorrow hold its 21st special session following a request from 16 of the Council’s members. Ahead of this session, the ICJ submitted a written statement to the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council.
OPT-HRC-SpecialSession-WrittenStatement-2014 (download written statement in Word)
Jun 27, 2014 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ and other civil society organizations highlighted progress in relation to accountability in the field of business and human rights, together with some continuing concerns, and unacceptable procedural tactics including in relation to a resolution on “protection of the family”.
Jun 24, 2014 | News
The ICJ deplores the wave of recent decisions by Egyptian officials and courts that aim to silence journalists, human rights defenders, political activists and all those suspected of opposing the military and the government.
Jun 23, 2014 | News
An ICJ delegation including ICJ Commissioners Justice Philippe Texier and Professor Olivier De Schutter concluded a one-week mission in Morocco to discuss access to justice for social rights in the country.
During its stay, the ICJ delegation met with various public authorities and civil society actors.
Among these meetings, the ICJ organized a round table discussion together with the Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme, and a discussion with civil society together with the Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
All the meetings allowed to discuss the normative advances as well as the remaining difficulties in the implementation of Morocco’s international obligations in the area of economic, social and cultural rights, including the obligation to guarantee effective mechanisms for the remedy and reparation of violations of these rights when they occur.
In this latter field, weaknesses have been identified in law and practice, with important efforts still to be realized in strengthening an institutional framework that is able to inquire, sanction and redress violations of ESCR.
During the discussions and consultations, the ICJ paid particular attention to the situation of marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups, including those who work in, and live around, free trade zones and areas for export-oriented agricultural production.