News

Advancing towards a Convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity The first session of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations (UN) Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, held in New York from 19… Read More

Suspected perpetrators of atrocities in countries such as Iran and Russia are freely coming to the UK to enrol their children in schools, shop at Harrods, and visit their luxury properties in Mayfair, all while UK law prevents their arrest or prosecution, the Government heard yesterday from members of the… Read More

One year after the M23 takeover of Goma, the human rights situation and the humanitarian and security context in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in North Kivu and South Kivu, remain extremely worrying.  Civilians continue to be victims of serious and repeated human rights violations, mainly… Read More

UN experts and independent civil society organisations, including partners in the United Against Torture Consortium, are examining credible evidence that Iranian security forces used indiscriminate and excessive force during recent protests, violating the right to life and potentially amounting to torture and other ill-treatment. While the internet shutdown in… Read More

READ THE BRIEFING At their best, targeted sanctions are a powerful tool to protect people, uphold international law, and affirm the rights and dignity of those harmed by grave abuses. With a small but vital change to the law, the UK Government can ensure that sanctions enforcement… Read More

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has reaffirmed a fundamental principle in the case of S.A. v. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): States have a binding obligation to enforce reparation awards for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).  The decision was adopted during… Read More

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has ordered Venezuela to pay compensation to the family of S.L., a UK national who died in custody in 2001, and to adopt structural reforms to protect the health and lives of women in detention, especially those with chronic and mental-health conditions. The… Read More

A cross-party group of MPs has challenged the UK Government to close the growing gap between the promise and practice of the UK’s Magnitsky-style sanctions regime, which is intended to target individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses and corruption. The debate highlighted how as human rights violations and grand corruption continue to escalate around the world, gaps in the Government’s sanctions policy risks undermining… Read More