UN Human Rights Committee
49 Articles

New Challenges to Xi Jinping’s Alternative Facts on Taiwan: Lessons for the Human Rights Space, Too
Democracies must challenge Beijing’s threats to the UN human rights system and its standards, as they are starting to do on Taiwan.

Civil Society, Under Threat Worldwide, Needs a General Comment on the Right to Freedom of Association
Civil society and its allies need tools to push back against rising threats worldwide, and the U.N. Human Rights Committee can furnish an important one: a General Comment on the…

Death Toll Climbs in Ukraine With Russia’s ‘Double-Tap’ Strikes
The tactic adds to evidence of intent to kill civilians through targeted or indiscriminate attacks, including on aid workers and institutions.

15 Years Later, Sri Lanka Continues to Deny Justice to Murdered Journalist
Lasantha’s murder, and the government’s failure to meaningfully investigate it, is a potent illustration of the importance and necessity of holding the perpetrators of crimes…

US Regresses on Torture and Guantanamo at Treaty Review
By our count, the Human Rights Committee asked over 20 questions related to U.S. torture and/or the Guantanamo detention facility during the United States' ICCPR periodic review.…

Overlooking Injustice: A Troubling Formalistic Turn at the UN Human Rights Committee
The Committee has recently dismissed complaints for technical reasons and enforced time limits more strictly - calling into question its role as a last avenue for justice.

The International Community and Israel: Giving Permission to a Permanent Occupation
UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories reflects on 50+ years of international inaction on the Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine.

For Facebook’s Sake: Getting Conversant with Human Rights
The Facebook Oversight Board decision on former President Trump has helped bring into sharper focus what international law scholars and lawyers have long understood: international…

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law
An appeal hearing in Minsk offers a chance for the court to rectify an injustice that illustrates how reporters have been targeted for abuse..

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s Abuses to the UN in Reviews and Strategic Litigation
The Human Rights Council should build on the documentation and advocacy NGOs have done over the years to encourage accountability for gross violations.

Escalating Attacks on Journalists in Sri Lanka Demand New Tack from Human Rights Council
The continuing impunity in the wartime killing of a revered editor and the recent escalation of rights abuses expose the government's recalcitrance.

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.