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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3,215 Articles
Trump hosts Department of Defense leadership at the White House on October 7, 2019. They pose for a picture in the Oval Office.

Race to the Top Brass

Congress is disproportionately nominating White students to the United States’ competitive military academies and, thus, continuing to cultivate a disproportionately White (and…
A person with a face mask walks past a television screen at Suseo railway station in Seoul on March 26, 2021, showing news footage of North Korea's latest tactical guided projectile test.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (March 19-26)

North Korea Launches Successful Weapons Tests North Korea conducted two separate weapons tests this week. U.S. officials confirmed that on Sunday, March 21, North Korea carried…
Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.
A war memorial at Jaffna University before it was demolished, in Jaffna. The memorial is a statue of hands reaching toward the sky coming out of a pile of rubble.

UN Human Rights Council Outlines Sri Lanka Abuses, But Demurs on Action

It’s not the robust independent mechanism victims campaigned for, or the referral to the ICC that they deserve, but it is a potential path to justice.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland addresses staff on his first day at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC on March 11, 2021.

How Attorney General Garland Can Strengthen FOIA Implementation

Here's what Attorney General Garland's department-wide memorandum on the Freedom of Information of Act should look like.
Supporters of the Yemeni Huthi rebels take to the streets of the capital Sanaa to protest against the blockade imposed on their country by the Saudi coalition, on February 26, 2021. An overpass and the street leading into it are packed with protestors. Side streets are lined with cars and buses blocking the way.

Biden Says He Wants to End the Yemen War: These Should Be His Next Steps

A fair and just UN-led peace process requires the Saudis to end the blockade and the Security Council to replace an outdated resolution on the war.
A white supremacist walks through the halls of the Capitol Building with a confederate flag during the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

The Failure to Police White Nationalism is a Feature, Not a Bug of American Policing

In the wake of the Capitol insurrection, Congressional leaders vowed to launch a comprehensive investigation into the security breakdowns that led to the breach of the Capitol.…
A wide view of the Trusteeship Council Chamber during a joint open briefing by the Chairs of Security Council committees engaged in countering the financing of terrorism, as well as by the President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), on their respective roles. The room appears to be full and a large projection screen shows a member sitting at the panel in the front of the room.

Protecting Civil Society in Global Counterterrorism: FATF Leads the Way, UN Should Follow

Through the work of advocates, FATF has improved its engagement with and protection of civil society. UN counterterrorism bodies could learn from FATF's approach.
Protestors rally against corruption in central Saint Petersburg on March 26, 2017. Numerous police or military forces in helmets watch the protestors.

Corruption Is a National Security Threat. The CROOK Act Is a Smart Way to Fight It.

A surcharge on entities liable under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could advance good governance abroad and help create a more stable world.
Smoke rises from tires burning at barricades erected by protesters after military junta forces attempted to attack them on March 16, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

No Military Solutions: A New Approach to Preventing Atrocities

To be a credible proponent of peace, the US must shed destabilizing security ties and unneeded military capabilities, and invest in conflict prevention.
Aerial view of the financial centre of Panama City taken on April 25, 2019. Areas with tress and shorter buildings are nestled between the skyscrapers.

The Fight Against Kleptocracy Should Look Beyond the West

Efforts that help constrain the enabling environment for corruption in the West do not sufficiently tackle how foreign authoritarian actors turbocharge kleptocracy and the role…
A Bosnian Muslim woman cries between graves of her father, two grandfathers and other close relatives, all victims of Srebrenica genocide, July 10, 2020, at the cemetery in Potocari near Srebrenica, Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Changing the Narrative on Atrocity Prevention

If the story about atrocity prevention could be reframed so as to categorize it as a “hard” national security objective, it might be possible to help move the issue of atrocity…
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