U.S. courts – International Justice Resource Center

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Absolute Immunity For International Organizations

March 7, 2019 IJRC U.S. courts, universal jurisdiction

On February 27, 2019, the United States Supreme Court held by a vote of seven to one that international organizations do not have absolute immunity from suit in U.S. courts. See Jam v. International Finance Corp., No. 17-1011, slip op. at 2 (U.S. Feb. 27, 2019). Rejecting the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) argument that international organizations like the IFC maintain

Ten Human Rights Standards Implicated by U.S. Immigration Policy Changes

June 27, 2018 IJRC children, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

Recent changes in the United States’ immigration policies have drawn fresh condemnation from human rights experts and civil society, particularly as news spread that authorities had separated approximately 2,000 children from their parents at the country’s southern border. [IACHR Press Release; OHCHR Press Release; UNHCR Press Release] These changes include automatic criminal prosecution and detention of adults – including asylum

U.S. Supreme Court Limits Corporate Liability for Human Rights Abuses

May 1, 2018 IJRC ATCA litigation, civil litigation, corporate accountability, domestic courts, U.S. courts, universal jurisdiction

On April 24, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Jesner v. Arab Bank that foreign citizens cannot sue foreign corporations for civil damages in U.S. federal courts for serious violations of international law, such as torture or extrajudicial killings. See Jesner et al. v. Arab Bank, PLC, No. 16–499, slip op. (April 24, 2018). The case was brought against

ILO: Thailand Not Meeting Obligations Under Forced Labour Convention

April 12, 2017 IJRC Asia, health, ILO, labor rights, migrants, U.S. courts, Universal system

The International Labour Organization (ILO) recently issued recommendations to Thailand to bring it in line with anti-slavery and forced labor provisions in the ILO Forced Labour Convention in response to allegations on the use of forced labor in the fishing industry, which has also been the topic of a lawsuit in the United States and of international pressure. [Guardian: Lawsuit;

News Clips – March 17, 2017

March 17, 2017 IJRC Asia, assembly and association, civil society, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, education, European System, freedom of religion, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international criminal law, international human rights, labor rights, LGBTI rights, migrants, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, reproductive and sexual rights, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system, women's rights

International Criminal Law The Colombian Senate voted to approve the establishment of a court with jurisdiction over war crimes, fulfilling one part of the recent peace deal with the FARC. [VOA] A court in Poland issued an arrest warrant for a man living in the United States for war crimes committed during World War II. [Washington Post] Civil Society After

News Clips- March 10, 2017

March 10, 2017 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, children, civil litigation, civil society, discrimination, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, labor rights, migrants, News Clips, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society On Wednesday, to mark International Women’s Day, women demonstrated around the world for equality. [Reuters] On Tuesday, in Argentina tens of thousands joined in a march protesting job cuts and other policies initiated under President Mauricio Macri. [Al Jazeera] On Monday, Israel passed a law denying entry visas to foreign nationals who support boycotts against Israel or its

Rights Protests Continue Across the U.S. as Immigration Ban Implemented

January 30, 2017 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, environmental rights, equal protection, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, international human rights, LGBTI rights, migrants, reproductive and sexual rights, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, women's rights

Protesters in the United States and around the world demonstrated last week and over the weekend, calling for the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees, women, and other vulnerable groups, as a new administration assumed power in the United States following a bitterly divisive campaign in which now-President Trump denied sexual assault allegations and promised to enact a

News Clips – November 4, 2016

November 4, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, assembly and association, civil litigation, civil society, corporate accountability, cultural rights, death penalty, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, environmental rights, health, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, indigenous communities, international human rights, LGBTI rights, migrants, News Clips, persons with disabilities, right to life, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, Universal system

Civil Society Two girls in Morocco are facing charges of homosexual conduct after they were seen kissing. [Guardian] Thousands protested this week against the United Nation’s peace proposal to end the conflict in Yemen. [Al Jazeera] Several UN experts called on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to put an end to the ban on protests that has been in

News Clips- October 14, 2016

October 14, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, economic, social & cultural rights, human rights defenders, immigration & asylum, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, migrants, News Clips, right to life, thought, expression & association, U.S. courts, UN General Assembly, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, Universal system, women's rights

Civil Society The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern over intimidation of human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan. [United Nations in the Kyrgyz Republic] Demonstrators in Colombia are demanding that the peace deal between the government and FARC is upheld. [BBC] The Ethiopian government this week denied the use of extreme force against protesters in the country.

News Clips- September 2, 2016

September 2, 2016 IJRC armed conflict, Asia, assembly and association, children, civil litigation, civil society, conditions of detention, corporate accountability, death penalty, democracy & political rights, discrimination, domestic courts, due process & judicial protection, economic, social & cultural rights, education, environmental rights, European System, extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, International Criminal Court, international criminal law, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, News Clips, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, right to life, thought, expression & association, torture, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, universal jurisdiction, Universal system

Civil Society United Nations human rights experts showed concern for the harassment, detention, and torture of six human rights activists in Sudan who now may also face the death penalty. [OHCHR Press Release] With tens of millions of workers on strike in India, 150 million people were involved in protests on Friday. [Guardian] Girls at a high school in Pretoria,