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.

× Clear Filters
3,055 Articles
Smoke billowing out of buidlings following a coalition air strike in the western al-Daraiya neighbourhood of the embattled northern Syrian city of Raqa on September 5, 2017.

Toward a Consistent and Coherent Ex Gratia Policy for Civilian Casualties

The summer of 2017 was an extended nightmare for the Badrans. Over the course of several weeks, 39 members of Rasha Badran’s family, most of them women and children, were killed…
Protesters wearing masks hold up placards as they protest the anti-terror bill outside the Philippine congress, despite a ban on public gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak, on June 3, 2020 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Under Cover of COVID at the UN: Why Counterterrorism Is Not the Answer to a Pandemic

Contrary to the UN's "CT Week" idea, the security sector's record makes it ill-fit to address the critical health needs of diverse populations.
World Health Organization (WHO) press conference

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 3-10)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
Police officers standby during an inter-departmental counter-terrorism exercise, codenamed CATCHMOUNT at Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point in Hong Kong on March 20, 2020 in Hong Kong, China.

UN’s “Counter-Terrorism Week” Misses the Mark in Marginalizing Civil Society

The UN is ignoring the calls of more than 400 CSOs just a month ago for a different approach to effectively counter terrorism. The outcome will be clear.
A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas.

Forced Family Separation During COVID-19: Preventing Torture and Inhumane Treatment in Crisis

The US government is threatening forced separation of migrant families again, this time with the added coercion of risking COVID exposure if they stay together.
Two waving flags of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Odd Couple at the Center of the U.N.’s Counterterrorism Growth

Outsized funding from Saudi Arabia and Qatar underlies key weaknesses in UN efforts, illustrated in this first virtual "CT Week" at the United Nations.
Protesters light candles as they mourn their martyrs in Tahrir Square as nationwide protests entered a third month on December 6, 2019, in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraqi Researcher’s Death Adds Urgency to Penalizing Iran-Backed Militias With New U.K. “Magnitsky” Law

Hisham al-Hashimi exposed human rights violations and corruption. The British penalties would reinforce similar US measures and support Iraqi reforms.
The officers and crew of the USS PC-1264 pose for a photograph on the ship.

U.S. “National Security” Must Apply to the Entire Nation

The US history of racial discrimination creates a domestic threat far more serious to some of its citizens than those posed by external antagonists.
Empty UN Security Council chamber.

Mexico’s Priorities as an Elected Member to the Security Council for 2021-2022

In this essay for Just Security, the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations and Mexico’s Legal Adviser outline the government’s priorities when it becomes…
Activists in orange jumpsuits and black hoods gather in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California for a demonstration marking the 17th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.

IACHR Condemns Guantánamo Abuses in First “War on Terror” Decision

On May 27, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a long-awaited decision in which it held the United States internationally responsible for the torture and…
A veiled woman walks with her child at al-Hol camp in al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria on February 17, 2019.

Rehabilitating and Reintegrating Child Returnees from ISIS

After the collapse of the self-styled Islamic State militant group (ISIS), many people were left homeless and stateless in refugee camps in Syria and Iraq. Nearly 49,000 children…
Three people check Facebook over tea and food at a teashop in Yangon, Myanmar.

Gambia v. Facebook: What the Discovery Request Reveals about Facebook’s Content Moderation

A review of Facebook’s past content decisions in Myanmar can guide assessments of when the public interest value of election-related content breaches the threshold of harm. Knowing…
1-12 of 3,055 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: