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
3,153 Articles
The "petit seminaire" (small seminary) Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in the Central African Republic city of Bangassou, where 2,000 Muslims had been living for almost three years, as of February 13, 2020. In May 2017, a column of anti-Balaka Christian militiamen swept through Bangassou, which until then had been relatively untouched by the civil war that had ravaged the rest of the country since 2013, killing at least 72 Muslim civilians and 12 peacekeepers in a matter of days, according to the United Nations. (Photo by CAMILLE LAFFONT/AFP via Getty Images)

At the UN: New Moves to Speak Up for a Crimes Against Humanity Treaty

Amid a new resolution, delegations will need to send a crucial signal that protections for civilians are deepening -- not withering.

Averting Future Mass Atrocities in South Sudan as Peace Terms Stall

Pressing for certain "reforms" carries risks. The US, with allies, can take steps to help avert a further deterioration. 
Sudanese demonstrators take the streets in Khartoum on June 3, 2022, holding cutouts of soldiers toting rifles, to demand justice for scores of pro-democracy protesters killed during the suppression of a 2019 sit-in against now-ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir. A protester was shot dead in the Sudanese capital, medics said, as UN human rights expert Amada Dieng urged authorities to "refrain from use of excessive force" against demonstrators. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

UN Members Should Reject Sudan Junta’s Membership on the Human Rights Council

The country, now in the grip of a military regime, seeks a second term, and the African Union is complicit in supporting the bid.

US Reinvests in Ethnic Oligarchy in Bosnia, Abandoning Support for Integration

President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, together with allies, should rethink Western Balkans policy based on first principles.
A Haitian police officer confronts people in line at a gas station, clamoring to collect fuel with their plastic containers, in Port-au-Prince on July 15, 2022.  The Haitian economy -- fragile from incessant crime and political instability -- appeared close to collapse as the war in Ukraine sent fuel prices soaring. (Photo by RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP via Getty Images)

People in Haiti Are Dying Because They Lack Water, Food, and Medical Treatment

Amid a gang-fueled economic and social meltdown, the US must help Haiti secure a government that takes responsibility for people's needs.
Supporters and Judges of Krakow Courts hold banners during a protest against an ongoing session of the Disciplinary Chamber of Poland's Supreme Court to consider the application of the National Public Prosecutor's Office for permission to detain and forcibly bring Judge Igor Tuleya in front of Krakow's Appeal Court on April 21, 2021 in Krakow, Poland. Igor Tuleya, who had been critical of changes to Poland's justice system, had become a symbol of the struggle for judicial independence in Poland. The EU had taken Poland to court over judicial independence concerns. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Poland’s Judicial Reform Falls Short of EU Expectations, Complicating Cooperation Against Russia

Pres. Duda’s failure to reverse course on actions that increase tensions and decrease solidarity in Europe weakens their alliance with the US.
People waiting in line in foreground; spires of a Cambodian temple in background.

The ECCC Begins Winding Down: In Cambodia, a Hybrid Tribunal’s Hybrid Legacy

Constrained by domestic politics and with its final verdict delivered, the ECCC's legacy – like its nature – is a hybrid one.

11 Takeaways from Senate Hearing on Expanding War Crimes Act and a Crimes Against Humanity Statute

Bipartisan hearing with takeaways for Ukraine War, International Criminal Court, war crimes and torture prosecutions and more.
Bus faces the camera in foreground. Dome of US Capitol Building in background.

In Weaponizing Asylum Seekers, DeSantis & Abbott Unwittingly Demonstrate the Possibility of Safe Transit Policies for Migrants

Ironically, the governors' actions show that the US could implement policies that better reflect the realities of migration - by treating migrants has human beings rather than…
Volunteers clear the rubble of a house destroyed as a result of the shelling in the city of Chernihiv on August 20, 2022, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's withdrawal from Chernihiv in April, after a month-long assault, left behind a devastated city that will require massive foreign aid, and many years of work, to restore. (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)

The Risks and Rewards of Planning for Ukraine’s Recovery Amid Ongoing War

Near-term steps can lay groundwork for recovery assistance, reassure donors, and add momentum toward an eventual settlement to the conflict.
Russian Federation Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey V. Lavrov speaks during the United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations Headquarters to discuss the conflict in Ukraine on September 22, 2022 in New York City.

The Case for Creating a Special Tribunal to Prosecute the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine (Part IV)

Discussing details for an international tribunal for aggression against Ukraine including outreach, victim participation, and more.
Ukrainian and Russian flags.

US Intervention in Ukraine v. Russia at the ICJ: A Q&A with Chimène Keitner

"The recent flurry of interventions shows that the ICJ proceeding continues to serve as a rallying point for Ukraine’s supporters."
1-12 of 3,153 items

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