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.

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3,056 Articles
Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe applying for the SIV program on August 8, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Someone holds a small sign to the camera reading, “To the attention of Janus/Sterling Former employees! For SIV and HR letter your queries please email to below emails address: [redacted emails] Avoid coming to our office! We cannot help you! Do not waste your time.”

Abandoning Afghan Allies: The Latest Chapter in Shameful History of US in Afghanistan

Existing US refugee and SIV programs are insufficient for Afghan refugee crisis. The US must massively expand programs to bring Afghans to safety.
A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers is displayed before a news conference at the Department of Justice, on October 19, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Cybercrime is Dangerous, But a New UN Treaty Could Be Worse for Rights

First proposed by Russia, this dangerous proposal has gained enough support at the United Nations for negotiations to begin early next year.
The Green Spirits, protestors dressed in green clothing and green headdress, carry a large beach ball of the globe during a demonstration on the beach during the G7 summit on June 13, 2021 in St Ives, England.

A Fresh Approach: Local Thinking Should Shape the G7’s New Plan to Compete With China

For the "Build Back Better World" initiative to work, the G7 must shed its paternalistic past and cooperate with partner countries.
Trees in a forest smolder and burn during the Dixie fire near Greenville, California on August 3, 2021. The sky is a hazy orange.

Climate Change is a Human Rights Issue – Particularly in US-China Relations

Recognizing the interplay between human rights and climate policy is necessary for either policy area to be coherent, particularly between the US and China.
Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on February 22, 2021 in Washington, DC.

A Flaw in the Attorney General’s Policy Against Seizing Reporters’ Records

The new Guidelines hamstring prosecutors’ ability to counter the worst espionage, writes George Croner.
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders hosts the large international consultations with representatives of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Anti ISIS coalition in the fight against terror In The Hague, January 11, 2016.

Behind the Scenes of the Global Counterterrorism Forum: A Bypass of Human Rights and UN Consensus?

It is time to take stock of what the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) has become and acknowledge what are the critical inflection points for its future development.
A "Camp Justice" sign at Guantanamo Bay. Four poles waive flags behind the sign.

Course Correction Still Needed on Anti-Torture Obligations

The prohibition on torture is absolute. The government’s commitment to upholding it must be too.
A member of the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine, covered with a former national red and white flag of Belarus, stands next to a symbolic wreath to Aleksandr Lukashenko as he takes part in a rally outside Belarus embassy in Kiev on August 8, 2021. Police officers stand in front of a gated building.

`In Today’s Belarus, Living Outside of Politics is No Longer an Option’

The US and the EU must act swiftly, before more people are hurt or killed and before more damage is done to the credibility of democracy.
An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier stands next to a damaged helicopter which was shot down by the Taliban near the hydroelectric Kajaki Dam in Kajaki, northeast of Helmand Province.

Running Out of Time – Do Not Leave Afghan Allies Behind

An Afghan interpreter shares the terror of being targeted by the Taliban, and urges swift evacuations.
A member of the US Air Force looks on near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in Al-Kharj, in central Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2020.

The Top US Diplomat on Arms Control Commits to `Values-Based Security Partnerships’ — Here’s How to Do That

For too long, America’s security cooperation has prioritized short-term, tactical goals over longer-term diplomatic and human rights aims.
US President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media standing outside an airplane at Heathrow, west of London, on June 13, 2021.

Don’t Let the Autocrats Win – How Biden Can Use the Democracy Summit to Build Back Media Freedoms

Autocracy is on the march, but Clooney presents a toolkit with four specific devices to help protect press freedom around the world.
Bosnian Muslim women, family members of victims of Srebrenica 1995 massacre, gather prior to the burial ceremony of caskets with body remains of their relatives at the memorial cemetery in village of Potocari, near Eastern-Bosnian town of Srebrenica, on July 11, 2021.

Deceptive Report Escalates Srebrenica Genocide Denial Campaign

It now becomes a permanent part of the brazen refusal by Bosnia's Serb authorities to own up to the atrocities committed in their name.
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