Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research - MRF

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (February 7, 2014)

Rob Grace — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:07:50 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

[As part of its research and policy project on monitoring, reporting, and fact-finding, the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Harvard University aggregates news detailing recent developments in this domain. For more information about this project, visit the project’s web page.]

The Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies has published a new working paper, “Human Rights Fact-Finding and International Criminal Proceedings: Towards a Polycentric Model of Interaction,” by Carsten Stahn and Dov Jacobs. The paper examines the interaction between fact-finding/commissions of inquiry missions and international criminal courts and tribunals.
Maina Kiai, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, visited Cambodia this week for a “brief non-official academic visit” this week. While in Cambodia, Mr. Kiai stated that the government should lift the ban on political demonstrations in the capital that was instituted amidst the violent crackdown on demonstrators that occurred a month ago.
This week, the International Center for Transitional Justice published a piece discussing transitional justice in Cote d’Ivoire. The piece includes comments about the ways in which the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission has not succeeded in meeting victims’ expectations.
This week, Pablo De Greiff — the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence — stated that Spain should investigate alleged atrocities that occurring during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s.
Gabriela Knaul — Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers — completed a nine-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates and stated that the country’s judicial system is "under the de facto control of the executive branch of the government."
James Anaya has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for work he has undertaken in his capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
A group of six United Nations special rapporteurs issued a statement asserting that “Government and pro-Government forces as well as armed opposition groups” are responsible for impeding relief to populations in need of humanitarian aid. The rapporteurs are Olivier De Schutter (Special Rapporteur on the right to food), Anand Grover (Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health), Raquel Rolnik (Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context), Christof Heyns (Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions), Juan E. Méndez (Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), and Catarina de Albuquerque (Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation).
The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) has issued a communiqué stating that the commission of inquiry that the AUPSC mandated to gather information about human rights violations and other abuses should document violations of the recent ceasefire agreement in South Sudan.
In Pakistan, in January alone, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances received 1337 new cases, bringing the Commission’s total number of cases to 1475.

Blog Tags:

MRF

Cambodia

Ivory Coast

Syria

Spain

UAE

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (January 17, 2014)

Rob Grace — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 19:24:54 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

Last month, an article published in IRIN examined the role that the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan has played in the efforts of Pakistanis to track down disappeared family members, as well as the frustrations resulting from the limits of the Commission’s capacities.
In Egypt, President Adli Mansour has authorized the creation of a fact-finding committee to gather information about events related to the change of Egyptian leadership that occurred on June 30, 2013.
In December, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation undertook her first official visit to Brazil, after which she criticized “the lack of access to sanitation and water by significant portions of the population.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples completed a visit to Peru in December.
In Kenya, the chairman of the National Police Service Commission announced that police officers will be vetted, a recommendation offered in the report of the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence in Kenya, which completed its work in 2008.
After a month-long recess, the Marikana Commission of Inquiry in South Africa — mandated to investigate the deaths of 44 people killed during protests of mine workers in 2012 — resumed public hearings earlier this month.
Last month, ten human rights organizations wrote to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to request an investigation of the arrest, detention, and alleged torture of three Bahraini journalists.
Earlier this month, human rights activists in Malawi, concerned about life-threatening conditions faced by detainees in Malawi prisons, called on the government to improve conditions for detainees and have stated that they will otherwise call on the United Nations to send a special rapporteur to the country to investigate the situation.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia is visiting Cambodia this week to assess the human rights situation in the country. Cambodia recently experienced unrest when military police fired on striking garment workers pushing for higher wages.
Côte d'Ivoire’s Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission completed its mandate earlier this month. However, the Commission has been fraught with difficulties related to issues such as funding and politicization.
A fact-finding team under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights completed a fact-finding visit to Central African Republic. The mission produced a report outlining the mission’s preliminary findings.
As the conflict continues on South Sudan, various entities have been engaging in gathering information about potential violations of international law. The Sudan People’s Liberation Army has established committees to investigate incidents that occurred in December. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is also investigating human rights abuses that have been committed during the conflict. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement expressing support for UNMISS’s work.

Blog Tags:

MRF

South Africa

Pakistan

Egypt

Brazil

Kenya

Bahrain

Malawi

Ivory Coast

CAR

South Sudan

Enforced Disappearances

Peru

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (December 13, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:31:37 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

This week, HPCR published a new working paper, “The Design and Planning of Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding Missions,” available at the Social Science Research Network.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is engaging in peace talks with the Government of Colombia to end the decades-long civil war in the country, has reiterated its position that a truth commission should be a component of ending the conflict and has claimed that the Colombian government’s resistance to this idea has been an obstacle in the ongoing talks.
A report released in the past week — produced by the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights — presents information related to serious human rights abuses committed by Dozos between 2009 and 2013. The full report (In French) can be downloaded here.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released a new report, “A Way to Go: An Update on Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan.”
Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, visited Malaysia this week to assess access to food in the country.
The Sao Paulo Truth Commission presented a report concluding that former Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek — who died in a car accident in 1976 — was killed as part of a political conspiracy.
This week, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo — the United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children — undertook an official visit to the Bahamas, the first visit to a Caribbean country by a United Nations Human Rights Council special procedures mandate holder. The special rapporteur then traveled on an official visit to Belize.
Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, began a fact-finding mission to several European countries to meet with members of the Iranian diaspora to gather information about past and present human rights violations in Iran.
A law passed by the parliament in Kenya could allow parliamentarians to alter the content of the report produced by the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
For a roundup of events related to monitoring, reporting, and fact-finding that occurred in 2013, see “Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding: Developments in policy and practice,” published by Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection.”

Blog Tags:

MRF

Colombia

Afghanistan

Brazil

iran

FARC

Ivory Coast

Malaysia

Belize

Bahamas

Kenya

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (December 6, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 15:22:05 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

After reports surfaced that the Government of Angola had decided to “ban” Islam, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation decided to dispatch a fact-finding team to investigate the situation in the country.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, completed a 12-day visit to Viet Nam. She noted the “impressive progress” made by Viet Nam on economic development but expressed concerns about academic freedom and freedom of artistic expression.
The United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict visited Myanmar this week to examine the issue of child soldiers in the country.
The Bahraini governmental unit charged with following up on the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) issued the unit’s third follow-up report. The first report was produced in July 2012, and the second report was published in November 2012, the one-year anniversary of the publication of the BICI’s report.
A new book, Quality Control in Fact-Finding, was published last month. The book examines various methodological dilemmas facing fact-finding practitioners.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, visited Sri Lanka this week to examine the situation of IDPs in the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, stated this week for the first time that the Commission of Inquiry on Syria had gathered evidence indicating that “the highest level of government, including the head of state” could be guilty of war crimes.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson, announced this week, in an editorial published by The Guardian, that he will be “launching an investigation that will culminate in a series of recommendations to the UN general assembly next autumn.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences — Rashida Manjoo — completed a 10-day visit to Azerbaijan. She stated that interviews conducted within the country indicate that violence against women in the country is widespread but acknowledged the difficulty of gathering reliable data.

Blog Tags:

Angola

Myanmar

Bahrain

BICI

MRF

Sri Lanka

Syria

OHCHR

Vietnam

Children

Azerbaijian

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (October 10, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 14:20:42 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced that the mission has recorded a 16% increase in Afghan civilian casualties in the first eight months of this year, compared to the same time frame last year.
UNAMA has also begun an investigation into torture in Afghan jails.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) met this week with the prime minister of Serbia, The purpose of the visit to the country is to assess the overall situation of IDPs in the country.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples travelled to Canada this week to gather information about the human rights situation of indigenous people in the country.

Blog Tags:

Afghanistan

UNAMA

MRF

Torture

Canada

Serbia

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (June 7, 2013)

Aruni Jayakody — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:52:15 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

At the twenty-third session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported that there are reasonable grounds to believe that limited quantities of toxic chemicals were used as weapons in the conflict. However, the Commission could not confirm the perpetrators, the types of chemicals, or the method of delivery.
The Farlam Commission of Inquiry into the unrest in Marikana announced that it will complete its work by October. The Commission is investigating the events surrounding the death of forty-four people near Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa.
The Government of South Sudan is preparing to initiate a Truth and Reconciliation Process by the end of 2013. The Presidential Committee for Peace, Reconciliation, and Tolerance will commence hearings and will be based on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Raquel Rolnik, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, is currently visiting Indonesia. She will pay special attention to the issues of access to affordable housing and tenure security.

Blog Tags:

MRF

Syria

Farlam Commission

South Sudan

Indonesia

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (May 31, 2013)

Aruni Jayakody — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:01:39 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

At the twenty-third session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, several Special Rapporteurs provided periodic updates and presented findings made during various country visits. Christof Heyns, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, presented a report calling for national moratoria on certain lethal autonomous weapons. Gabriela Knaul, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, updated the Council on her visits to Pakistan, El Salvador, and the Maldives. Francois Crépeau, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, presented the findings of his year-long studyon the rights of migrants in Europe.
Surya Subedi, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, concluded a nine-day visit to the country. He called on the Cambodian government to continue to move forward with implementing reforms to the judiciary, electoral system, and land rights.
Recommendations adopted in Oslo at the Global Conference on Reclaiming the Protection of Civilians under International Humanitarian Law called on states to cooperate with fact-finding mechanisms with a view to strengthening accountability.
A commission of inquiry mandated in 2010 by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attempted coup that occurred in the country in 1990. Observers hope that Commission will be able to provide a historical record as well as help to explain subsequent political developments in the country.
Following an urgent debate on the situation in Syria, the Human Rights Council passed a resolution requesting that the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria investigate the events in Al Qusayr. Special Rapporteurs Chaloka Beyani on the rights of internally displaced persons and Christof Heyns on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions spoke at the debate, providing information on the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

Blog Tags:

MRF

Pakistan

El Salvador

Maldives

Cambodia

Trinidad and Tobago

Syria

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (April 26, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:00:33 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

News reports indicate that the Government of Sri Lanka might establish a truth commission similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for South Africa to examine allegations of violations of international law committed during the last stages of the country’s decades-long civil war.
Najat Maalla, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, is completing a trip to Kyrgyzstan to gather information about the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography in the country.
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama released a letter stating, “Our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin.” However, the letter continues, “the chain of custody is not clear so we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what conditions.” For this reason, this letter notes that the United States Government is “currently pressing for a comprehensive United Nations investigation that can credibly evaluate the evidence and establish what took place.”
The Government of Bahrain has indefinitely cancelled an upcoming trip of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
A report has surfaced that details atrocities committed against Brazilian Indians between the 1940s and the 1960s. The report will be considered by the Brazilian National Truth Commission, which Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff mandated in 2011 “to gather information about human rights abuses committed in Brazil between 1946 and 1988.”
On Thursday, April 25, the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, but Amnesty International criticized the resolution as a “missed opportunity” to expand the mission’s mandate to include human rights monitoring.

Blog Tags:

MRF

Sri Lanka

Syria

Brazil

Kyrgyzstan

United States

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (April 19, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:11:13 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

During a visit to Burkina Faso, Ben Emmerson, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, called on international actors to support Burkina Faso’s efforts to mitigate threats of terrorism. As Mr. Emmerson noted, Burkina Faso borders both Nigeria and Mali and suffers from widespread poverty.
This summer, the Europa Institute of the Leiden University Law School will host a seminar entitled, “Fact Finding in Human Rights Litigation: Perspectives on Questions of Evidence before the European Court of Human Rights.” Click here for registration information.
The Guardian reported that a portion of a fact-finding report submitted to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in January has been leaked. President Morsi created the fact-finding committee in July 2012 to gather information related to violent incidents involving political and military personnel during the 2011 uprising, but the report has yet to be made public. The leaked portion of the report accuses members of the Egyptian military of responsibility for acts of torture, disappearances, and killings.
The Democratic Alliance — the opposition political party in South Africa — has called for the creation of a commission of inquiry into police brutality following the release of a video depicting a violent incident involving police officers. This statement follows a similar call — which South African President Jacob Zuma dismissed — that the Democratic Alliance issued last month.
A piece published last week by EJIL Talk provides an assessment of the legal analysis of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
The Center for Human Rights Science at Carnegie Melon University will undertake a study of the effect of social media and big data analytics on human rights fact-finding.
Gabriela Knaul, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges of lawyers, will visit the Russian Federation between April 15 and 25 to gather information about the legal system in the country.
Surveillance drones may replace peacekeepers for the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI). UNOCI forces are scheduled to draw down later this year. A spokesperson from UNOCI stated, “The use of drones would enhance the monitoring capacity of the UN mission in Ivory Coast, especially its surveillance and information gathering (...)."
Rashida Manjoo — the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences — will begin a ten-day visit to India on April 22. Ms. Manjoo will meet with government authorities as well as members of civil society.

Blog Tags:

MRF

mali

Nigeria

Libya

South Africa

Russia

India

Burkina Faso

Weekly News Roundup: Monitoring, Reporting, and Fact-finding (April 12, 2013)

Rob Grace — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:38:47 +0000

Blog Type:

IHL in Action

The Syrian government and the Untied Nations have been thus far unsuccessful in agreeing on the scope and terms of a planned investigation into allegations of chemical weapons attacks in the country.
An event held at the 107^th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law focused on “The Future of Human Rights Fact-Finding.” Click here for a summary of the event.
IFEX published an assessment of the Organization of American States’ (OAS) rejection of an Ecuadoran-led proposal to, among measures, implement of code of conduct to regulate the conduct of OAS human rights special rapporteurs.
Magdalena Sepulveda, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, is currently conducting an eight-day fact-finding mission in Mozambique.
Beedwantee Keetharuth, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, expressed yesterday the Eritrean government continues to deny her access to the country but that she intends to gather information about Eritrea by visiting neighboring countries.
General Jagath Jayasuriya, the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, handed over the first part of his Court of Inquiry report to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense. The report concludes that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is guilty of violating international law in the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War and that the Sri Lankan army observed international humanitarian law. The United States ambassador to Sri Lanka has called on the Sri Lankan government to release the report, which has not yet been made public. The Court of Inquiry will next focus on the second part of this entity’s mandate, which involves examining allegations of summary executions committed against captured members of the LTTE.

Blog Tags:

MRF

Syria

Sri Lanka

Mozambique

Eritrea

OAS