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Children and Statelessness: A Q & A with Sebastian Kohn
Sebastian Kohn of the Open Society Justice Initiative talked about the under-recognized problem of stateless children and the overwhelming importance of ensuring access to the very basic right of nationality.
Case Watch: A Victory for Refugee Protection in Europe
With a landmark judgment, the European Court of Human Rights finally debunked one of the great myths about Europe's treatment of asylum seekers.
Sierra Leoneans Await Final Taylor Judgment
With lawyers set to deliver their closing arguments at the war-crimes trial of Charles Taylor, Sierra Leoneans are waiting for only one thing: the final word on whether he is guilty or innocent.
Case Watch: Australia's Complicity in Torture—No More Excuses
In an age where any inquiry by a government into its complicity in rendition and torture is rare, a small step from Australia is welcome. But we should not confuse it with proper accountability.
The Log in America's Eye
Many observers wonder at the apparent disconnect between American support for justice abroad and President Obama's determination to "look forward not backward" at home.
Human Rights: How Far Have We Come?
On the 60th anniversary of World Human Rights Day, the date when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN, how far have we come in realizing that document's promise?
What Does the Bemba Trial Mean to Victims?
The trial of accused war criminal Jean-Pierre Bemba provides hope to survivors of rape and other abuse—hope that their voices will be heard and that one day, the violence will stop.
International Criminal Court Takes on Gender Crimes
As the war-crimes trial of former Congolese vice president Bemba opens in The Hague, the court has a chance to demonstrate its ability to hold a high-profile, fair, and speedy trial and to prove that it takes sex crimes very seriously.
Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Europe and Extraordinary Rendition
An Amnesty International report released this week calls for a break in the conspiracy of silence surrounding Europe's complicity in CIA-driven torture and extraordinary renditions.
Free Kazakh Human Rights Defender Yevgeniy Zhovtis
Zhovtis's imprisonment suggests the Kazakh government's intent to silence a human rights defender. It's important to ensure that they do not succeed.
"God" of Equatorial Guinea Takes a Hit at UNESCO
The decision to suspend the UNESCO "dictator prize" is a testament to the power of an informed global citizenry to strip away the veneer of untouchability from a corrupt human rights abuser with a god complex.
Amidst UNESCO Scandal, President Obiang Gives Schools Notebooks in His Image
In the last several months, the UNESCO-Obiang Prize in Life Sciences has generated more controversy than the organization has seen in decades. Facing a global outcry, the president of Equatorial Guinea has tried to fire back with some good old-...
Lubanga Trial Highlights Plight of Child Soldiers
By taking former child soldiers to The Hague to recount how they were conscripted, the battles they fought, and how they saw their fellow children kill and be killed in battle, the Lubanga war-crimes trial has given the world a vivid picture of...
Gaza Crisis, Revisited
Israeli investigations into alleged violations during the 2008 Gaza Conflict have not complied with international or comparative standards, according to an Open Society Justice Initiative analysis.
Poland Must Account for Torture and Extraordinary Rendition on Its Soil
There is no doubt that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was brutally tortured while held in various CIA black sites, including in Poland. The U.S. government's own documents confirm this.
The Nubian Predicament: A Story about Colonial Legacy, Discrimination, and Statelessness
According to a recent survey, more than 99 percent of Nubians in Kenya identify themselves as Kenyan. But the government thinks otherwise.
Obiang Regime Shows True Colors with Executions
A sordid saga of cross-border kidnapping, a kangaroo trial, and high-speed executions shows that the president of Equatorial Guinea takes his own solemn promises to reform no more seriously than anyone else.
Europe’s Union Riven by Government Attacks on Minorities
Roma in Italy, burqas in France, minarets in Switzerland: the idea of European citizenship recedes with each affront to equality and solidarity.
Charles Taylor: The View from Sierra Leone
As the glamor and intrigue continue in the war-crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor—with a Hollywood actress and a supermodel's former agent testifying in The Hague about blood diamonds—the view from Sierra Leone looks...
Complementarity and the Struggle for Justice
When debating international justice we must remember the important role of local courts, as they will try the vast majority of cases involving human rights violations and war crimes.