Making the Law Work for Everyone
The Open Society Justice Initiative uses the law to promote and defend justice and human rights.
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How a 230-Year-Old Law Could Hold U.S. Corporations Accountable for Child Slavery Abroad
A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court could decide whether children formerly held as slaves can hold U.S. corporations accountable for human rights violations perpetrated abroad.
The OPCW Provides the Next Opening for States to Advance Accountability for Atrocities in Syria
The next OPCW Conference of the States Parties provides states a new window of opportunity to give hope to Syrian victims seeking justice.
Case Watch: Colombian Constitutional Court Sets Important Precedent on Victims of Grave Crimes’ Access to Court Evidence
In September 2020, the Colombian Constitutional Court issued a judgment setting standards for the rights of victims of grave crimes to access files and request copies of evidence related to a case.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is Deploying a Massive New Database to Gather Biometric Information
A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security biometric database is projected to contain information on hundreds of millions of people by 2022 and represents an alarming development to scale up the agency's surveillance and information-sharing ability.
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As part of the Open Society Foundations, the Justice Initiative shares its mission of building vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens.
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Since 2003, Justice Initiative lawyers have represented scores of individuals before domestic and international courts, in cases that have sought not only to vindicate individual claims, but to establish and strengthen the law’s protection for all.
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Federal Judge Sides with Human Rights Lawyers over Trump Administration’s ICC Ban
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration not to enforce an executive order that effectively prevented human rights lawyers from collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Federal Court Orders U.S. Intelligence Agencies to Explain Withholding of Khashoggi Tape and Report
The court found that official acknowledgements—including President Trump's own statements—prevented the government from refusing to acknowledge that it is withholding records and audio tapes about the slain journalist.
Justice Initiative Joins Syrian Groups in Filing First Criminal Complaint on Behalf of Sarin Attack Victims
The Justice Initiative, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, and Syrian Archive have filed a criminal complaint on behalf of chemical weapons attack victims to the Office of the German Federal Public Prosecutor.