Search results

The countries of the world are drawing up development priorities for the next decade and beyond. Here's a brief introduction to the process.

In cases concerning the protection of refugees from being returned to places where they may be at risk of ill-treatment, two recent decisions from the UN Human Rights Committee show that timing is everything.

Like all liberties, freedom of expression must be weighed against other rights, including the right to be free from discrimination. How do courts strike a balance? Consider the case of Thilo Sarrazin.

The chairs of the UN’s ten human rights treaty bodies added their voices to the growing calls to recognize the intrinsic connection between sustainable development and the rule of law.

Can deportation be based on secret grounds to protect national security? The Court of Justice of the European Union recently took up the question.

What good is international law if states don’t follow it? Should we care about international courts if governments don’t do what they say? A new book looks at how to connect court judgments and real change.

Read a primer on the just-released United Nations report on the future shape of the world’s development strategy after 2015.

A case from Belarus helps broaden the interpretation of the right of every citizen to take part in the conduct of public affairs.

The Peshawar High Court has ruled that U.S. drone attacks on Pakistani territory are illegal, but without delivering solid supporting legal arguments.

The European Court of Human Rights seldom rules on Article 18 of the European Convention. But several recent high profile cases have brought it into the spotlight.

A recent case at the UN illustrates the challenges that Roma communities face in asserting their right to protect the homes they have created on the margins of both society and the legal system.

If a trial for international crimes is stopped due to an amnesty, would a subsequent retrial violate the double jeopardy principle?

The European Court has ruled that French authorities violated the right to respect for private life when they retained fingerprints in a government database after a suspect was acquitted.

The first hours after arrest are crucial. If suspects don’t have access to basic criminal defense, they’re left vulnerable. A new resource aims to assist lawyers, police, and judges to advocate for arrest rights in Europe.

Most countries have legislation stating that all people arrested by the police have the right to see a lawyer before they are interrogated. But law and practice are often very different things. Consider the case of Hungary.

In a recent decision, the court took an unprecedented step in recognizing how excessive pretrial detention carries repercussions beyond the holding cells.

The Spanish Supreme Court has struck down the prohibition against wearing burqa in public spaces in the Catalonian city of Lleida. The judgment could provide a precedent to prevent broader bans.

After the 9-11 attacks against the United States, the CIA conspired with dozens of governments to build a secret extraordinary rendition and detention program that spanned the globe.