Newsroom
The Open Society Justice Initiative pursues strategic litigation and engages in policy advocacy in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Read our News Releases and Advocacy Updates on our work.
Human Rights Groups Alert U.N. to Alarming Actions by Mexican Prosecutors
More than 120 human rights groups and individuals are warning the U.N. about alarming trends emerging from Mexico’s new national Prosecutor General’s Office and the State’s Prosecution services.
April 02, 2020Amid COVID-19 Lockdown, Justice Initiative Calls for End to Excessive Police Checks in France
The Open Society Justice Initiative has called on the French government to ensure that police checks carried out during COVID-19 do not use excessive, violent, or discriminatory force.
March 27, 2020Justice Initiative Sues U.S. Government for Denaturalization Records
In light of the Trump administration's use of denaturalization proceedings as a tool for general immigration enforcement, the Justice Initiative has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to obtain government records on the denaturalization and deportation of Americans.
March 11, 2020Dates Announced for Trial of Anwar R., Syrian Official Accused of War Crimes
The most important Syria atrocity trial to date is scheduled to begin in Germany on April 23, 2020. The accused is Anwar R., a former high-ranking Syrian official who will stand trial for crimes against humanity.
March 10, 2020Domestic Court Reinforces Kyrgyzstan’s Obligation to Implement UN Human Rights Committee Decision
A city court in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan upheld a 2019 district court’s ruling that enforced a decision of the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) pertaining to the death of Rakhmonderdi Enazarov, which occurred while Enazarov was in police custody in 2005.
February 28, 2020Court Moves to Protect Venezuelan Children born in Colombia from Statelessness
A court in Colombia has ruled that the government must consider statelessness risks when determining the nationality of children born in Colombia to Venezuelans fleeing their country's political and economic chaos.
January 31, 2020Kenyan Court Puts Hold on Digital Identity Scheme
A Kenyan court has ordered the government to stop implementation of its the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) until a constitutionally sound framework is in place.
January 31, 2020Acquittal Marks Advance for Struggle against Torture in Brazil
A criminal court in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has for the first time acknowledged the validity of internationally agreed standards on effective legal and medical investigations into allegations of torture—resulting in the acquittal of seven torture survivors who had been tried for drugs-related charges.
December 20, 2019