With momentum building and global support on the rise, a draft treaty on crimes against humanity stands as a beacon of progress in international law. Led by a coalition of nations and backed by international civil society organizations, this treaty holds promise for enhancing accountability and prioritizing the rights of victims of profound injustices around [...]
Search Results for: reparations
UN fact-finding mission concludes death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian custody unlawful
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI), mandated by the UN, concluded on Monday that the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody was unlawful and resulted from violence. The UN Human Rights Council established the mission in November 2022 to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran. Its primary [...]
Independent French reparations agency, Instance Nationale Indépendate de Reconnaissance et de Réparation (INIRR), reported that it has provided financial reparations to over 500 victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy or leaders in the Catholic Church in 2023. INIRR’s 2023 report revealed that over 60 percent of victims are men, averaging an age of 61 years [...]
Peru Congress commission advances bill protecting alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity
The Constitutional Commission of the Peruvian Congress approved Tuesday the report of Bill No. 6951/2023-CR, which establishes that no one can be prosecuted, sentenced or punished for crimes against humanity or war crimes committed before July 1, 2002. As a result, emblematic cases from the period of internal violence in Peru between 1980 and 2000, [...]
At least 126 human rights defenders were murdered in the Americas in 2023, according to a statement published Tuesday by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). The IACHR stated that this high violence rate was directed toward land and environment defenders, leaders of indigenous communities and leaders of communities of African descent. In the [...]
Türkiye bears responsibility for the human rights abuses and potential war crimes committed by Turkish and proxy forces in Turkish-occupied northern Syria, according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The 74-page report documents various abuses, including abductions, sexual violence and torture, by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Military Police. “Ongoing [...]
ICC orders Uganda commander to pay $56 million in reparations to war crime victims
The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered Dominic Ongwen, a former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to pay $56 million in reparations Wednesday to several thousand victims of crimes against humanity. Ongwen was charged with committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Northern Uganda between July 2002 and December 2005 as a commander [...]
Nicaragua seeks to intervene in South Africa genocide case against Israel pending before ICJ
Nicaragua formally requested permission to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Nicaragua argued that the country has “an interest of a legal nature which may be affected by the decision in the case.” It is unclear whether or not [...]
ICJ mostly rejects Ukraine claims of Russia discrimination, terrorism financing
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) found Wednesday that Russia failed to investigate Ukrainian claims that Russians were financing terrorism in Ukraine, in violation of Russia’s obligations under Article 9 of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT). The ruling’s press release states that the ICJ otherwise rejected requests by [...]
Explainer: Competing Legislative Agendas Come to a Head in Sri Lanka
The year 2024 is an important one for Sri Lanka. It is a presidential election year, and a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council to gather evidence of international crimes for use in future prosecutions is due for renewal. After the public ousters of the former-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2023, Ranil Wickremesinghe [...]