Amnesty International on Friday urged governments to take robust action and fulfil their obligations regarding climate change under international law. The statement follows Vanuatu’s circulation of a draft resolution on the matter to all UN member states. According to Amnesty, the draft resolution urges states to fulfil their obligations in regard to climate change, following [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Friday that interprovincial mobility is a constitutional right under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court held that Section 6 of the Charter protects the right to move freely within Canada. It follows that when the government imposes an interprovincial travel restriction, it must justify that [...]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Monday that Israel’s new measures in the Occupied West Bank violate international law. Guterres urged Israel to halt these measures and commit to the negotiated two-state solution, as the “only path to lasting peace.” His calls were echoed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The Israeli cabinet [...]
The Law Society of British Columbia warned Monday that the provincial government’s intention to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) may erode judicial independence and improperly constrain the power of the courts. The proposed amendment would limit the role of the judiciary in matters related to DRIPA’s implementation. In the [...]
The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) on Monday called for an independent investigation into the alleged use of excessive force by Canadian police against a Black defense lawyer. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Bar Association issued a similar appeal last Thursday. On January 23, Sudine Riley, a lawyer who is a Black woman, [...]
Doctors without Borders (MSF) on Monday denounced the blocking of humanitarian access to opposition-held areas by the government of South Sudan, warning of harm afflicting vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women and patients with chronic or critical conditions. In a statement, the group warned that at least 23 patients are currently in critical condition and [...]
A UN expert urged states to recognize hostage-taking as a crime against humanity on Thursday. The statement comes as a preparatory committee is drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity. The Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on states participating in the negotiations to include hostage-taking as a crime against humanity in the [...]
The Budapest 5th and 13th District Prosecutor’s Office brought charges Wednesday against the city’s Mayor Gergely Karácsony for organizing last year’s June 28 Pride March that violated a police prohibition order enforcing an anti-LGBTQ+ law passed by Hungary’s national authorities. The charge accused Karácsony of calling on the public to participate in the Pride March [...]
The Hague District Court ruled on Wednesday that the Netherlands has failed to meet its international obligations on climate change. The court ordered the government to adopt adequate measures to better protect Bonaire, a Dutch Caribbean island, within 18 months. The court concluded that the government has violated the right to private and family life [...]
Three Alberta chief justices said the separation of powers is crucial for a healthy democracy, in a rare statement issued Tuesday. The judges said that their role is to interpret and apply the law, including the Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, when disputes come before the courts. They stated that judicial [...]
