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International Human Rights Law

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A young boy walks in front of a grafittied wall spelling out the symptoms of and ways to avoid Coronavirus in Mathare informal settlement on July 10, 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: Human Rights Law – Right to Life

[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series, COVID and International Law. All articles in the series can be found here.] COVID-19 continues to grow at…
The national flag of the United Kingdom is displayed as British troops and service personal remaining in Afghanistan are joined by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel and civilians as they gather for a Remembrance Sunday service at Kandahar Airfield November 9, 2014 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The U.K. Overseas Operations Bill: An Own Goal in the Making?

Many of those objecting to the bill in a constructive spirit acknowledge the problem the government is seeking to address, but chide it for going about it the wrong way.
Asylum seekers in life rafts on the Aegean Sea

Torture by Rescue: Asylum-Seeker Pushbacks in the Aegean

Since at least March, Greece has been systematically returning asylum seekers who have arrived on its shores – who have the right to adjudication of their asylum claims – to…
Pompeo on a computer screen giving a press conference.

Estrangement Over Engagement: How the Trump Administration is Bucking Bipartisan Human Rights Diplomacy at the UN

The practice of the Trump administration turning its back on rights at the United Nations goes well beyond the Human Rights Council.
Protesters calling for a civilian government held large protests in Khartoum to commemorate those who were killed June 30, 2019 in Khartoum, Sudan.

Will COVID-19 Create a Human Rights Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa?

Emergency powers imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19 jeopardize free speech and other fundamental rights-- and they may linger long after the threat to public health recedes.
Cell room doors are seen at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, on August 13, 2018. - A former regional jail, the facility has been contracted by the US Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house undocumented adult immigrant detainees.

The U.S. Bears International Responsibility for Forced Sterilization of Women in ICE Detention

A sterilization performed without the patient’s prior, full, free, and informed consent is a human rights violation.
Pakistani children and activists carry placards during a peace walk to mark Human Rights Day in Karachi on December 9, 2012. Signs read, "Do you know your human rights?" and "Human Right #26 The Right to Education"

Reclaiming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the Pompeo Commission – Part 2

The panel's lengthy exegesis of the Declaration contains at least six glaring omissions that have real-world consequences.
A monitor displays the words Commission on Unalienable Rights behind Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he speaks without a face mask during a news conference at the State Department in Washington,DC on July 15, 2020.

Reclaiming Human Rights from the Pompeo Commission – Part 1

Its report displays an interpretative sneakiness, invoking the “founding era” and “founding principles” in a highly selective and under-inclusive way.
Professor of practice at Syracuse University College of Law David Crane, United Nations Representative from France Gerard Araud, and forensic pathologist Dr. Stuart Hamilton give a report on the allegations of torture in Syria at the United Nations on April 15, 2014 in New York City.

The Netherlands’ Action Against Syria: A New Path to Justice

Cases such as one in Germany to address individual criminal responsibility are insufficient on their own to address the scope of the documented criminality.
Abortion rights activists rally in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2019. Signs read, "Safe abortion is a human right" and "Keep abortion legal."

UN Experts to Trump Administration: Reproductive Rights are Human Rights

It is crucial to call out US efforts to undermine the UN human rights system and erase the well-established framework of rights protections.
Boys lay on top of one another at an overcrowded Juveniles’ cell at Tal Kayf prison in April 2019.

How to Answer Iraq’s Failure to Put a Stop to Torture

Parliament should ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Short of that, Prime Minister al-Kadhimi can take action.
A protester holds a sign reading, “End Torture” at a rally to "demand Congressional action to stop torture" on Capitol Hill March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC.

Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: Uphold the Prohibition on Torture

A full reckoning for state-sanctioned American torture remains unfinished. The Obama administration took important steps towards fulfilling US obligations but fell short of what…
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