Oct 5, 2010 | Agendas
On September 20-21, 2010, the ICJ Global Security and Rule of Law Initiative convened an informal expert consultation on the issue of drone killings and targeted killings. The meeting discussed legal policy and advocacy issues with the perspective of strengthening the international human rights response to the increasing use of drone killings in different parts of the world, including in situations of armed conflicts and outside genuine armed conflicts. It illustrated the frequent disregard of international human rights law and a lack of transparency and accountability for when and how drones are used for targeted killings. The meeting brought together senior lawyers of leading international human rights organizations, experts of international humanitarian law and general international law. The newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary and Summary Executions also attended the meeting.
For more information see the agenda of the meeting.
Drones killing rights back-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
May 27, 2009 | News
The ICJ welcomes the convening of a Human Rights Council’s special session today in Geneva to address for the first time the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sri Lanka.
“The human rights and humanitarian crisis continues to unfold following the Government of Sri Lanka’s announcement last week that its military operations against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had ended and that all civilians had left the conflict zone,” said Wilder Tayler, Acting Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists.
SriLanka-UNcouncil-IDPs-news-2009 (full text, PDF)
May 15, 2009 | News
The ICJ is urging the international community to take further steps to ensure the Government of Sri Lanka addresses the dire humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.
Currently, up to 50,000 civilians are trapped within the shrinking conflict zone in the Vanni district on the north-eastern coast and 196,000 people have fled the conflict zone.
Sri Lanka-The International Community must increase pressure-Press releases-2009 (full text, PDF)
Apr 28, 2009 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ drew attention to the persistent violence and the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation mainly due to the repeated and large-scale armed conflicts in the country.
It urged the Council to call for urgent measures to establish the rule of law, curb impunity and ensure the protection of civilians and internally displaced persons and full enjoyment of human rights for the population.
DR Congo-UPR-non-legal submission-2009 (full text, PDF)
Dec 1, 2008 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions
The ICJ urges all parties to the armed conflict in the East of the DRC to protect civilians from human rights and international humanitarian law violations, including from rape.
The Government is responsible for upholding the principle of command responsibility and accountability for abuses, which requires the operation of independent and ordinary courts and tribunals and bolstering the cooperation with the International Criminal Court.
Democratic Republic of Congo-ICJ Intervention on the Situation of Human Rights-non-legal submission-2008 (full text, PDF)
