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Claudia Medina v. Secretaría de Marina and Fiscalia General de la República
After the Mexican government granted the armed forces powers to carry out law enforcement operations in 2006, the Mexican Navy committed systemic patterns of torture and sexual violence with the rubber stamp approval of the prosecutor's office.
European Court of Human Rights Condemns Racist Policing
The European Court of Human Rights has found that police in the Swiss city of Zurich engaged in ethnic profiling, in an identity check stop carried out on Mohamed Wa Baile, a Swiss citizen, at the city’s’ train station in 2015.
Case Watch: A Mother’s Search for Her Son Leads to Groundbreaking Decision on Disappearances in Mexico
In a major victory for the hundreds of disappeared people and their loved ones in Mexico, the nation’s highest court recognized the mandatory nature of urgent actions issued by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
How Independent Agencies Can Begin to Hold Police Accountable
Countries around the world are building agencies independent from the police to conduct and prosecute allegations of serious crimes by police or other state agents.
Who Polices the Police? The Role of Independent Agencies in Criminal Investigations
This publication explores the efforts of independent investigative agencies to investigate and prosecute allegations of serious crimes against police and other state agents.
Prisons and Jails Should be Prioritized for the Coronavirus Vaccine
Under international law, vaccinating prison populations against COVID-19 is an obligation that falls to the government—and because they are particularly at risk, incarcerated persons should be among the first groups to be vaccinated.
Justice Initiative Welcomes African Court’s Ruling against “Arbitrary” Vagrancy Laws
In a landmark advisory opinion, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights found that vagrancy laws on the books of at least 38 African countries discriminate against women, children, people with disabilities, and others.
Equality Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Adopts New Resolution on Police Profiling
The Open Society Justice Initiative applauds the adoption of a draft resolution by the Equality Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) calling on all European States to pass laws to ban ethnic profiling.
Civil Society Lawsuit Accuses Mexican State Government of COVID-19 Mismanagement in Prisons
Centro Prodh has partnered with the Justice Initiative to file a lawsuit against the governor of the state of Morelos, the Mexican Ministry of Health, and other state authorities for failing to enact measures to properly manage and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the state prison system.
Centro Prodh vs. the Governor of the State of Morelos et al.
This lawsuit against federal and state authorities in Morelos, Mexico, seeks to compel various levels of government to enact guidelines and policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and guarantee adequate standards of healthcare in detention.
How a Legal Aid Program is Tackling the Crisis of Nigeria’s Overcrowded Prisons
In Nigeria, the overuse of pretrial detentions has placed a crushing burden on the justice system and the nation's overcrowded jails. That's where the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme, a legal aid program that has helped over 15,000 suspects, comes in.
Q&A: How a System to Document Police Stops Improved Policing in Fuenlabrada, Spain
Police inspector and criminal justice expert David Martín Abánades shares his insights on the implementation of a new system to collect data on police stops in Fuenlabrada, Spain.
The Recording of Police Stops and Toolkit for the Analysis of Police Identifications
These toolkits seek to provide an overview of best practices regarding the recording of police stops, routine interactions between officers and the public, and the analysis of this data to improve policing.
Domestic 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.
Acquittal 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.
New Report Takes Stock of Court Reparations Rulings across Latin America
Courts across Latin America have developed innovative approaches to the challenge of delivering reparations to the victims of violence. A new report outlines lessons learned.
Regulating Police Stop and Search: An Evaluation of the Northamptonshire Police: Reasonable Grounds Panel—Fact Sheet
This fact sheet outlines how unique initiative between police and community members in Northamptonshire, UK has resulted in a more lawful and effective use of stop and search.
Regulating Police Stop and Search: An Evaluation of the Northamptonshire Police Reasonable Grounds Panel
This report outlines how a unique initiative between police and community members in Northamptonshire, UK has resulted in a more lawful and effective use of stop and search.
Case Watch: UN Finds Mexico Responsible for Man’s Disappearance, Relies on Witness’s Word
There are more than 40,000 people who are missing in Mexico. One family’s journey to find out what happened to their son could help others seeking justice.
Askarov v. Kyrgyzstan
Human rights defender Azimjan Askarov was detained and tortured by police in Kyrgyzstan after documenting human rights violations committed during inter-ethnic conflict in 2010. Askarov was given a life sentence after being denied a fair trial and died in July 2020.