Right to life: ICJ submission to UN Human Rights Committee

Global
Issue: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Document Type: Legal Submission
Date: 2015

On 12 June, the ICJ made a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee in view of the Committee’s elaboration of a new general comment on Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guaranteeing the right to life.

In its submission, the ICJ focussed on the following:

  • the principles of non-discrimination, equality before the law, equal protection of the law and the right to life;
  • the scope and nature of the duty to respect and ensure the right to life pursuant to article 6, paragraph 1: “Every human being has the inherent right to life” of the Covenant;
  • the right to life and armed conflict; and
  • the death penalty.

The ICJ’s initial submission touches only on a highly limited selection of issues that the Committee is likely to address in a new general comment on Article 6.

The ICJ intends to comment further on these issues, but also on other aspects of article 6 concerns, at further stages in the Committee’s deliberations, for example when a draft text might be elaborated and made available for consultation.

Universal-INITIAL ICJ SUBMISSION TO HRC RE GC 36 FINAL-Advocacy-legal submissions-2015-ENG (full text in PDF)

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