Civil Liberties

Police shoot tear gas at demonstrators protesting police brutality and the murder of George Floyd. Protestors run in a panic to escape the tear gas outside St. John's Episcopal Church outside the White House. The police wear full riot gear including helmets, face shields, body shields, batons and masks. June 1, 2020 Washington DC

Revitalizing US Democracy Starts with Repairing the Right to Peaceful Assembly

Five actions the Biden administration can take to better protect the right to peaceful assembly.

Dec. 9, 2020 Elly Page and Nick Robinson

A banner from EIPR reading, “Free EIPR Staff.” Cropped greyscale photographs of four EIPR staff that have been detained are shown over the banner – Patrick Zaki, Gasser Abdel Razek, Mohammad Basheer, and Karim Ennarah.

Defending Human Rights Is Not Terrorism: The Egypt Arrests as a Case in Point

The UN's global counterterrorism system creates a permissive and enabling environment that sustains and facilitates abuse of rights defenders,

Nov. 30, 2020 Mary Lawlor and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin KC (Hons)

A road sign entering Fort Bragg going from Connecticut Avenue in Southern Pines, North Carolina, in March 2010. The sign reads, “US Army Fort Bragg Military Reservation – All persons and vehicles entering or departing this installation are subject to search.”

Trump’s Veto Threat Over Confederate-Named Bases Erodes U.S. Security and American Values

Given the historical significance of this moment and the alternatives for commemorating real, heroism, Congress has a moral and practical obligation to act.

Nov. 25, 2020 Bishop Garrison and Cole Blum

A policeman stops US Actress Mia Farrow and Theary Seng, head of the Centre for Social Development, as they attempt to enter the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum in Phnom Penh, 20 January 2008. They hold white flowers and people with cameras crowd around them.

Cambodian Rights Activist and 55 Others Face Trial as Crackdown on Dissent Intensifies

Given the control that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party wields over the judiciary, their odds of getting a fair trial are slim.

Nov. 25, 2020 Kevin Osborne and Ali Baiardo

Egyptian members of the press sit outside the headquarters of the journalists syndicate in Cairo on January 25, 2009 with their cameras on the ground, in protest against police interference in their work. Many hold images of police brutality.

How to Fight Truth Decay: Protect the Truth Tellers

What better way of protecting the truth than by offering a safe haven for journalists who risk their lives to inform us.

Nov. 23, 2020 Can Yeginsu

Migrants are taken insidethe El Paso County detention facility by a Customs and Border Protection agent on June 12, 2019 in El Paso.

The Urgent Need to Restore Independence to America’s Politicized Immigration Courts

Incoming President Biden should do all in his power to reestablish fairness, consistency, and efficiency in a system hobbled under the Department of Justice.

Nov. 12, 2020 Gregory Chen

A man photographs himself depositing his ballot in an official ballot drop box while a long line of voters queue outside of Philadelphia City Hall at the satellite polling station on October 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Easing Election-Related Tensions: Lessons for the US from Elections Abroad

A common trigger of election-related unrest is related to the counting period. Any unexpected pause in tallying or release of results carries risks.

Nov. 1, 2020 Rose Jackson

Parchment paper reading, “The Good Governance Papers: A Collection of Essays in favor of public integrity and the rule of law as written upon at Just Security Fall 2020”

Good Governance Paper No. 19: The Criminal Legal System — Toward a Paradigm Shift

Latest in series of top experts exploring proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government, public integrity, and the rule of law.

Nov. 1, 2020 Vincent M. Southerland

Good Governance Paper No. 16: Legislating Racial Equity Impact Studies in Transportation and Infrastructure Policy

Latest essay in a series of top experts exploring proposals to restore and promote nonpartisan principles of good government, public integrity, and the rule of law.

Oct. 30, 2020 Deborah Archer

Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters confront each other during the vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 7, 2020.

Nonviolent Civic Action May Help Defend the Integrity of the Election

Media outlets, protestors, and officials will play essential roles in either exacerbating or alleviating tensions that can lead to violence.

Oct. 13, 2020 Maria J. Stephan

A protester holds a sign with a red heart reading the hashtags 'spreadlove' and 'stophate' during an anti right wing demonstration near the place of the terror attack on a christmas market in Berlin on December 21, 2016.

GIFCT: Possibly the Most Important Acronym You’ve Never Heard Of

The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) raises questions about who decides what counts as terrorism or the even more loosely defined extremism.

Sep. 30, 2020 Courtney C. Radsch

U.S. Attorney General William Barr removes his face mask before testifying to the House Judiciary Committee in the Congressional Auditorium at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center July 28, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Bill Barr’s Misguided View of US History

His grumble that coronavirus-related restrictions constitute the greatest civil liberties violation since slavery ignores a litany of government abuses.

Sep. 24, 2020 Aryeh Neier