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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3,233 Articles
Residents of Lukodi village, where dozens were killed in 2004 by the Lord's Resistance Army, react as they listen to the International Criminal Court's (ICC's) sentence of Dominic Ongwen, a Ugandan child soldier-turned-Lord's Resistance Army commander, on radio in Lukodi, Uganda, on May 6, 2021. A radio hangs on a tree with a poster regarding the sentencing.

It’s Time To Revisit the United States’ Evolving Posture Toward the Use of Child Soldiers

The U.S played a key role in bringing Dominic Ongwen to justice, but more should be done to stop the use of children in armed conflicts.
Tunisian soldiers part of the UN peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) depart a plane at Banguis airport on September 21, 2021. Some wear masks, others do not. Two greet each other in a fist bump.

How the UN Can Strengthen its Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic Amid a Changed Conflict

A Security Council divided over rights violations by Russian paramilitaries must maintain civilian protection as a priority.
A screenshot from C-SPAN showing headshots of the Supreme Court justices. The caption underneath reads, “State Secrets, Torture & CIA Black Sites; Oral Argument; United States v. Zubaydah”

Ruminations on the Abu Zubaydah Supreme Court Oral Argument: Three Surprising Turns

“The Supreme Court oral arguments in U.S. v. Husayn (Abu Zubaydah) took a number of surprising but welcome turns."
Afghans residing in India take part in a demonstration outside, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) office in New Delhi on August 23, 2021 to protest against the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. Signs read, “Do not forget refugees, please.” And “International community! Please, protect and save our lives.”

Afghan Refugees in India Highlight the Need for Indian Domestic Refugee Law

India will offer ad hoc emergency visas to Afghan refugees but lacks any domestic law to protect asylum seekers long term.
Relatives gather to look at the dead bodies of ten people including children after a raid on their farms in Bariire, some 50 km west of Mogadishu, on August 25, 2017.

Insight Into Biden’s Counterterrorism Thinking Suggests More of the Same

Rather than rebrand painfully flawed approaches, the US must heed the calls and ideas of civil society, academics, and practitioners.
Colombian United Self Defense (AUC) right-wing paramilitary guerrillas stand in rows holding their hands over their hearts during the demobilization ceremony 10 December, 2004 at Camp Two base camp in Tibu, north of Santander, Colombia.

New Ruling Sheds Light on State-Paramilitary Cooperation in Colombia – and on the TVPA

A US court held that Colombian paramilitaries indisputably had a symbiotic relationship with the Colombian state and are therefore liable under the TVPA.
Afghans watch the arrival of some of the ten-truck Red Cross convoy carrying 120 tonnes of mixed food-stuffs for homeless, on January 8, 1995, in Kabul.

Taliban Governance of NGOs – What to Expect and How to Respond

The last Taliban government imposed restrictions on registration and operation of NGOs. What can we expect from this Taliban government?
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta arrive for a press conference on Civil Enforcement Action at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on September 9, 2021.

Reopen the Obstruction of Justice Case Against Trump

A key item in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s inbox is gathering dust: Volume 2 of the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose team investigated possible obstruction…
Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Meeting of the Standing Committee sit behins desks with microphones in Vienna, July 5, 2021. They wear face masks.

Appetite for Obstruction: How Autocrats Subvert Democracy’s Infrastructure

Russia's block on a recent human rights meeting is part of a pattern of authoritarian powers rending the fabric of rules-based institutions.
A soldier with a gun stands over debris during rescue efforts after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and tropical storm Grace moves over Jamaica on August 17, 2021 in Les Cayes, Haiti. Destroyed homes are seen in the background behind the soldier.

Filmmaker: Ex-US Envoy’s Words Tell the Story of Our Lives in Haiti

Raoul Peck on Daniel Foote's call for the US to reset its policy and listen to the voices of Haitians trying to rebuild democracy.
A Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) stands among hundreds of shell casings August 6, 2003 in Monrovia, Liberia.

Historic Judgment in Liberian Massacre Case Advances US Law

A landmark case offers justice for victims - and new specificity on TVPA, ATS claims for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Relatives and friends attend the funeral of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Gregorio on December 27, 2020 in Paniqui, Tarlac province, Philippines. Six people carry a coffin, and banner behind shows their faces and reads, “Justice for Sonia R. Gregorio; Frank Anthony R. Gregorio; Our condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family from Rev. Peter M. Gregorio”

Toward a Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity: A View from the Philippines and a Region of ‘Non-Interference’

Such a convention could help dispel a culture of impunity by reaffirming the gravity of such atrocities and filling gaps left by the Rome Statute.
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