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Raising the Bar: Improving the Nomination and Election of Judges to the International Criminal Court
There are currently significant flaws in the way that the member states of the International Criminal Court identify and elect judges to the court, leading to the election of less-qualified candidates, and a bench dominated by a handful of states.
Implementing Human Rights Decisions: Reflections, Successes, and New Directions
This publication takes stock of the growth and change in the field of human rights implementation, and how to ensure legal decisions can be realized.
Case Watch: UK Supreme Court Provides Gateway for Zambian Farmers and Corporate Accountability
The UK Supreme Court has given poor Zambian claimants the right to sue a global mining behemoth in English courts.
Volunteer Lawyers Give New Direction to Nigerian Legal Aid Initiative
In the town of Ikorodu, local lawyers are delivering free legal aid to detainees within 48 hours of arrest and joining an effort to steer people charged with nonviolent crimes away from unnecessary detention.
International Prosecutors Fought Corruption in Guatemala. Now They’ve Been Ordered Out
The United States is acquiescing in the destruction of one of the few institutions that has shown success in targeting the main causes of Guatemala’s dysfunction.
Hungary’s Anti-NGO Tax Law Violates Free Speech and Freedom of Association
The Venice Commission, Europe’s leading body of legal experts on democracy and the rule of law, has called on Hungary to repeal a 25 percent tax on NGOs working on migration issues.
Using the Courts to Change the World: Insights from Experience
A new report by the Open Society Justice Initiative offers an unprecedented overview of strategic human rights litigation around the world, and offers eight lessons for success.
How International Justice Can Go Local
Over 30 national and regional initiatives have been launched to prosecute mass atrocity crimes since the early 1990s. A comprehensive new survey looks at the lessons learned.
How Small Data Can Improve Access to Justice for the Poor
Collective data drawn from individual case work can be used to identify what does and doesn’t work in improving access to justice for all.
How Data Is Helping in the Struggle for the Right to Education in South Africa
Winning a court ruling alone was not enough to ensure that schoolchildren in the impoverished Eastern Cape province of South Africa have decent desks and chairs.
With NGOs Under Attack, the European Union Needs an Early Action Plan
The European Union’s commitment to a “sharper and more coherent” effort to support embattled civil society groups around the world requires a bold and structured approach.
Finding a Way Out of Legal Limbo in the Dominican Republic
Community-based paralegals are helping people of Haitian descent secure the legal identity documents that affirm their citizenship.
How Access to Justice Can Stop a Problem from Turning into a Crisis
To shape effective policy, we need to know more about the direct and indirect social and economic costs of unresolved legal problems.
Time for Transparency in the Machinery of Global Rights
A drive for transparency over the selection of the next UN Secretary General reflects similar efforts by civil society in the global human rights system.
Legal Access for All: But Who Pays for It?
If the vision of equal access to justice for all is to become a reality, more countries around the world will need a sustainable nationwide system for legal services.
Scaling Up on Legal Empowerment
Basic legal services and advice should be available to all. A new Open Society initiative is trying to make that a reality in nine target countries.
In Mexico, Many Deaths in Custody but Few Investigations
In Mexico, the problem of deaths in custody―and the failure to investigate them―is particularly acute.
Shining a Light on the Selection of Mexico’s Supreme Court Judges
Mexico’s top court wields considerable influence, yet the process of selecting and approving its judges remains opaque.
Global Goals: The Challenge for Justice and Rights Advocates
If we believe that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development presents a genuine political opportunity to achieve change, some of us at least may have to adopt a different approach.
Pretrial Detention of Juveniles: As Common as It Is Wrong
The extended pretrial detention of juveniles should be a seldom-used measure of last resort, not the sadly common practice it is today.