Human Rights
Just Security’s expert authors offer in-depth analysis on critical human rights challenges, including those related to armed conflict, emerging technologies, abuses by authoritarian governments, repression of human rights advocates and independent media, human rights litigation, racial justice, gender equality, and more.
3,056 Articles

A Torture Survivor Speaks at the Guantanamo Military Commissions
Majid Khan described his torture by the United States for the first time in a case that also shows how plea agreements are the only realistic path for those charged in Guantanamo…

The Downstream Effects of Israel’s “Terrorist” Designation on Human Rights Defenders in the US
The Israeli designation may be designed to trigger US counterterrorism sanctions - and chill human rights activism. Here are some options for the US response.

The Tigray Conflict at One Year: Ethiopia’s Descent into Famine and Civil War
Without deeper international engagement to pause the fighting and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, the worst is yet to come.

An Undefined Defining Moment: Marking 20 Years of Counterterrorism Without Ever Agreeing What Terrorism Is
UN Security Council Resolution 1373 in 2001 created a sprawling global system that, rather than solving the problem, spawned widespread abuse.

Sudan’s Constitutional Crisis: Dissecting the Coup Declaration
Suspending certain articles while retaining parts of the transitional deal cloaks a unilateral power-grab as merely a course correction.

Sanctions Review Fails to Review Sanctions: Congress Should Step In
US sanctions policy should account for peacebuilding and other crucial civic and development activities.

Gendering the International Court of Justice
"When the votes are cast in the General Assembly this week, women’s rights advocates around the world will be watching States closely."

So, What Does Facebook Take Down? The Secret List of ‘Dangerous’ Individuals and Organizations
Facebook has been criticized for content it allows. But we should be equally skeptical of what it takes down, and its claimed legal reasoning for removals.

Sudanese Send Clear `No’ to Military Coup. What Will Security Forces Do Next?
After mass nonviolent protests, look out for arrests of opponents, prison releases of Islamists, and actions by a key paramilitary unit.

Failure to Renew Yemen Investigative Mechanism Shows Costs of US Absence from Human Rights Council
The US has regained a seat on the HRC - but its recent absence has weakened the human rights landscape overall.

The Biden Administration’s Disappointing Sanctions Report: What Should Come Next
Last week, the Treasury Department released a long-awaited report setting forth the results of its “comprehensive review” of U.S. sanctions. To the dismay of sanctions reform…

Watchlisting the World: Digital Security Infrastructures, Informal Law, and the “Global War on Terror”
The Global Counterterrorism Forum's new "toolkit" ignores input, tracks US practice to dangerously expand the unaccountable post-9/11 system.