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Challenges, Opportunities in Nigerian Law
OSI's Chidi Odinkalu sees a potential watershed moment in Nigeria's upcoming April 2007 general elections.
Ukraine Public Defender Office Promotes Rights of the Accused
A newly opened public defender office—a joint project of the Open Society Justice Initiative and two other civil society groups—recorded a major success last week when it was assured by Regional Director of Kharkiv Police that local police will...
Khmer Rouge Court Session Highlights Need for More Active International Engagement
Setbacks at a meeting of judges and staff at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia last week highlighted the challenges facing the tribunal, the Open Society Justice Initiative reports.
Open Society Justice Initiative Lauds Adoption of Freedom of Information Bill by Nigerian Senate
The Open Society Justice Initiative today hailed the Nigerian senate's approval of a freedom of information bill and urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to sign it into law quickly.
Council of Europe Urged to Recognize Broad Right of Access to Information
Three leading freedom of information organizations, including the Justice Initiative, called on the Council of Europe to ensure that its future treaty on freedom of information provides a robust safeguard of the right to access information.
Mexico Plans Its First Pretrial Services Agency
Mexican officials gathered in Chihuahua to plan the country's first pretrial services agency at a meeting organized and led by the Open Society Justice Initiative and its Mexican partner organization, Renace.
First Community Prosecution Training Held in Georgia
Prosecutors in Georgia are participating in the country's first training on community prosecution, organized by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Open Society Georgia Foundation.
World Bank Awards Grant to Pioneering African Paralegal Nongovernmental Organization
Timap for Justice, a nongovernmental organization cofounded by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Sierra Leonean National Forum for Human Rights, received an $879,000 grant today from the World Bank to provide justice services in Sierra Leone.
Open Society Justice Initiative Intervenes in Armenian Freedom of Information Suit
Granted leave to intervene in a freedom of information case against Armenia by the European Court of Human Rights, the Open Society submitted a brief to the court arguing that the existence of a right to information is well established in European...
International Tribunal Makes Landmark Ruling on Access to Information
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights broke new ground in declaring that all people have a general right of access to government-held information, reports the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Priority Issues for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
In a public memo released today, the Open Society Justice Initiative highlighted urgent needs at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Grant Citizenship to All Native Born
The Dominican Republic must abide by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling calling for Santo Domingo to extend citizenship rights to Dominicans of Haitian descent.
Holes in the Rights Framework: Racial Discrimination, Citizenship, and the Rights of Noncitizens
Open Society Justice Initiative Executive Director James A. Goldston looks at "the importance of citizenship in making effective the promise of fundamental human rights protection."
New Study on Access to Information Finds Young Democracies Outperform Established Ones
An Open Society Justice Initiative survey of access to information shows that discrimination and inconsistency are still widespread.
Groundbreaking Lawsuit Challenges Racial Profiling by Police
In the first-ever legal challenge to racial profiling filed with an international human rights tribunal, a coalition of advocacy groups including OSI submitted an application to the UN Human Rights Committee, seeking to halt racial profiling by police.
Transparency and Silence: A Survey of Access to Information Laws and Practices in 14 Countries
This Open Society Justice Initiative study on access to information finds that transitional democracies outperformed established ones in providing information about government activities.
Ta Mok's Death Underscores Need for Prompt Khmer Rouge Trials
The death last Friday of Ta Mok, the notorious butcher of Cambodia's killing fields, highlights the urgency of effective prosecutions by the war crimes court which launched operations this month in Phnom Penh, reports the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Recommendations On Reform of the Legal Profession in Tajikistan
At a meeting of law reform experts in Dushanbe, the Open Society Justice Initiative presented a series of recommendations for reforming the legal profession in Tajikistan.
Open Society Justice Initiative Condemns Human Rights Crackdown in Nigeria
A police crackdown on a meeting of human rights activists in Nigeria and the threatened arrest of meeting organizers was condemned by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Open Society Justice Initiative Condemns Roma Evictions
The forced eviction and destruction of homes belonging to more than 200 Roma was condemned by the Open Society Justice Initiative, who are pursuing an application with the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of several of the families.