Publications

Targeted thematic and country-based financial sanctions (“targeted sanctions”) have become an increasingly popular tool among jurisdictions seeking accountability for, and to deter, serious human rights violations and corrupt practices. Since the introduction of the United States’ 2016 Global Magnitsky Act, the United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Australia have all enacted similar legislation. This report sets out a framework which identifies five types of impact of targeted sanctions. This framework may assist civil society and government stakeholders in developing their own assessments of the impact of targeted sanctions and improving the use of these tools for accountability and behavioural change. Alongside this general framework, seven detailed case assessments have been conducted on various designations by the US, UK, Canada and the EU to demonstrate how this framework may be used in practice.

Responding to an inquiry by the House of Lords’ European Affairs Committee on 'implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine for UK-EU relations', REDRESS' submission highlights that the UK and the EU’s efforts to impose a large number of targeted sanction have not been enough to deter Moscow from committing further violations of international law in Ukraine. The submission makes a series of recommendations to the UK Government, including the need to align sanctions delegations more closely with allies and ensure designations explicitly refer to human rights violations where appropriate. 

On 7th November 2023 the UK Government announced that it would introduce a Criminal Justice Bill, which provides an opportunity to strengthen the UK’s approach to tackling complex offences and pursue routes for repurposing illicit wealth. In this briefing, REDRESS identifies some legal and policy reforms that the UK Government should implement to ensure the confiscation and repurposing of profits derived from human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law to repair victims.

UK law allows for the prosecution of international crimes under a principle known as ‘universal jurisdiction’. Universal jurisdiction allows the courts of any country to hold trials for crimes that ‘shock the conscience’ – including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes – no matter where they occur. But legal constraints, practical challenges, and a lack of political will have meant that only three people have been convicted of such crimes in the UK – ever. This report sets out reforms that would close loopholes and allow for more successful cases to be brought in English courts against suspects of the most serious international crimes.

This new briefing paper by a coalition of international and Belarusian NGOs highlights the myriad challenges that prevent survivors of torture and other human rights violations from pursuing justice inside and outside Belarus. Since the 2020 presidential election, the human rights situation has significantly worsened; this briefing argues that hundreds of survivors of torture and other human rights violations have been denied their right to appeal or other remedies due to the failure by the Belarusian authorities to investigate hundreds of criminal complaints that have been filed domestically.

This report provides a detailed legal analysis concluding that the Egyptian authorities’ use of torture is so widespread and systematic as to amount to a crime against humanity under customary international law by which Egypt is bound. It was written by REDRESS in collaboration with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), Dignity, the Committee for Justice (CFJ) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). A submission reflecting the findings of the report was submitted on 2 October 2023 to the UN Committee against Torture ahead of its review of Egypt’s record under the UN Convention against Torture that will take place on 14 and 15 November 2023.

The report sets out the context of the armed conflict in Sudan, the overarching legal framework that applies during the armed conflict, prima facie evidence of legal violations committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and accountability avenues or measures for these alleged violations and some of the obstacles likely to be encountered. We thank the German Federal Foreign Office for making the Arabic translation of this report possible.

This report summary highlights the key findings and recommendations of our report "Ruining A Country, Devastating Its People: Accountability for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Sudan since 15 April 2023". The report sets out the context of the armed conflict, the overarching legal framework that applies during the armed conflict, prima facie evidence of legal violations committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and accountability avenues or measures for these alleged violations and some of the obstacles likely to be encountered. We thank the German Federal Foreign Office for making the Arabic translation of this summary report possible.