Publications

Now in its tenth edition, the Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review has continued to showcase the increasingly important role of universal jurisdiction in the fight against impunity. With 36 new investigations opened in 2023 and 16 convictions, the past year confirms this positive trend. However, the use of universal jurisdiction is not expanding evenly across countries.  As long as cases continue to be concentrated in a few specific jurisdictions, the truly universal nature and potential impact of universal jurisdiction will remain unexploited. Read more in the report, released by TRIAL International in collaboration with Civitas Maxima, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), FIDH and REDRESS.

Consular assistance is a vital tool that enables the UK Government to offer protections to its nationals detained overseas. However, the discretionary nature of consular assistance stands at odds with the UK’s international obligations and falls short of the protection its nationals deserve. Establishing a legal right to consular assistance for those suffering (or at risk of) human rights violations would provide benefits not only to British nationals facing dire circumstances abroad, but also to the British State, showing that British values do not stop at our borders. Transforming consular assistance from a mere discretion into a legal obligation would ensure more robust safeguards for British nationals at risk of human rights abuses abroad and solidify the State’s responsibility to secure the rights and wellbeing of its most vulnerable citizens

Freedom from Torture and REDRESS wrote to PM Rishi Sunak urgently requesting to ensure that any intelligence provided by the Israeli authorities used by the UK to inform its response to this crisis has not been obtained by torture or other ill-treatment.

A joint civil statement from Egyptian and International human rights organisations calling on Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mahmoud Hussein who is facing 25 years in prison for wearing a t-shirt with an anti-torture slogan.

Over the last decade, the International Law Commission and the UN General Assembly have made progress in attempts to establish a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity (CAH). In this policy brief on a prospective CAH Convention, REDRESS, the International Federation for Human rights (FIDH), Global Survivors Fund (GSF) and TRIAL International voice support for a prospective CAH convention. This Convention can cement Customary International Law and fill an important existing gap in treaty law regarding crimes against humanity. The policy brief makes recommendations to States on reflecting progressive provisions on victims’ and survivors’ rights in a prospective CAH Convention

In March 2022, Roman Abramovich promised to sell Chelsea Football Club and donate the £2.5 billion to support victims of the war in Ukraine, nearly 7 times the value of humanitarian assistance provided by the UK to Ukraine so far. However, two years on, the sale has hit a stalemate and no money has been delivered to victims of the conflict. This briefing paper outlines how the UK Government can break the deadlock over the funds and direct them towards victims in Ukraine, as promised.

This Practice Note aims to facilitate the understanding and practice of a survivor-centred approach to strategic human rights litigation and reparation claims. It is based on REDRESS’ experience, desktop research, and consultations carried out with 12 practitioners from international and national organisations with vast experience in supporting survivors in obtaining reparation in different regions. While this Practice Note provides useful guidance based on experience to date, it is important to acknowledge that practices in this area are constantly evolving.

This Practice Note is aimed at facilitating the understanding of reparation and its many facets, principles, and standards. It provides practical and comparative examples related to claiming and accessing reparations in different contexts in a survivor-centred manner, and proposes strategies to overcome obstacles in the journey towards reparation. This Practice Note is complemented by REDRESS Practice Notes on Claiming and Implementing Reparation, Survivors Centred Approach, and Compensation.