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UN Entities’ Powers to Establish Administrative Reparations Programs
This briefing paper provides an overview of the powers of various UN entities to establish administrative reparations programs for gross violations of international human rights law, serious violations of international humanitarian law and/or international crimes, and their past practice on this subject.
Model Indictment for the Crime of Aggression Committed against Ukraine
This model indictment prepared by the Justice Initiative demonstrates that building a solid case against Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior leaders for the crime of aggression is feasible. In addition to Putin, it names six Russian officials involved in the initiation, planning, preparation, and execution of acts of aggression against Ukraine starting on February 24, 2022.
Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in Belgium
The principle of universal jurisdiction allows national courts to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed on foreign territory by foreign nationals. This briefing paper, available in English and French, provides an overview of the legal framework in Belgium on universal jurisdiction and was produced in partnership with TRIAL International.
Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in the United States
The principle of universal jurisdiction allows national courts to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed on foreign territory by foreign nationals. This briefing paper provides an overview of the legal framework in the United States on universal jurisdiction and was produced in partnership with TRIAL International, the Center for Justice & Accountability, and Civitas Maxima.
When Pretrial Justice Fails
This factsheet aims to show why pre-trial justice is an important factor to consider in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and recommends that more data be taken into account when assessing progress towards access to justice for all.
Security for Costs Orders in the Bahamas as a Barrier to Access to Justice in Public Interest Litigation
This briefing paper provides an overview of the international and regional framework relevant to the consideration of applications for security for costs in environmental and other public interest judicial review challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Immunities and a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
This briefing paper provides a non-exhaustive overview of the application of immunities to prosecutions for the crime of aggression, particularly to the Russian head of state, head of government, and minister of foreign affairs, before a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
2023 Global Human Rights Litigation Report
This report summarizes cases filed by the Open Society Justice Initiative in 2022 to defend and strengthen human rights around the world, as well as cases that remain pending as of December 2022.
State Human Rights Obligations Regarding the Distribution of Scarce Health Resources
This report offers a comprehensive overview of case law concerning the rights to life, health, and nondiscrimination in international, regional, and national systems.
Accountability for Crimes of Personnel of the Wagner Group in Ukraine
A legal analysis of the status of the Wagner Group under international humanitarian law and implications of that status for prosecuting its personnel for international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine.
2024 Global Human Rights Litigation Report
Read highlights of litigation undertaken by the Open Society Justice Initiative, plus a representative selection of cases illustrating the depth and range of its global litigation work on human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Ongoing Segregation of Roma Children in the Czech Republic
This report, presented to the European Commission in January 2024, presents new evidence indicating that the Czech Republic's discriminatory treatment of Roma children is in breach of the European Union's Racial Equality Directive.
Q&A: Bringing a Case Before the International Court of Justice for the Rights of Afghan Women and Girls
This paper addresses questions around the feasibility of bringing a complaint at the International Court of Justice against Afghanistan's Taliban for egregious and prevalent violations of women’s and girls’ rights.
International and Regional Standards on Judicial Independence
This research memo identifies and analyzes relevant international and regional standards regarding the independence of the judiciary.
Litigating the Right to a Nationality: A Guide for Practitioners
This guide provides resources for practitioners to develop strategies to use litigation to achieve progress towards the realisation of the right to a nationality for all.
Displacement by Design: Resisting Denmark's Race-based Housing Laws
This report presents stories and photographs of residents of the Mjølnerparken housing development in Copenhagen where hundreds have been forced to leave their homes under the Danish government's so-called "Ghetto Package".
Migrant Rights: a Practical Guide to Litigation and Administrative Action at the EU Level
This guide takes stock of the mechanisms that asylum seekers, (irregular) migrants, and NGOs representing them can use in order to vindicate these rights against European Union institutions and bodies.
2025 Global Litigation Report
This report provides highlights of global litigation work carried out by the Open Society Justice Initiative in 2024—with summaries of major cases in Climate Justice, Gender Persecution, International Justice, and Social Media Platform Accountability that seek to advance Open Society's vision of a world shaped by justice, equity, and rights.
Legal Possibilities of Using Russian Central Bank Assets to Enforce European Court of Human Rights Judgments
Looking at three countries, this report offers a detailed analysis of the applicable laws and procedures to inform potential legal and political actions that could be taken for the relief of victims in Ukraine.
Memorandum for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine
This Memorandum for Prosecution sets out how Russia’s conduct against Ukraine constitutes the crime of aggression and represents a continuous pattern of unlawful use of force from 2014 until today.