Publications

REDRESS’ publications are also available in hard copy format. Please contact us for further information on [email protected].

Open Civil Society Letter Calls for Life-Saving Medical Treatment for Iran’s Longest Serving Female Political Prisoner

An open letter from REDRESS and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, signed by 22 human rights organisations and 13 individuals, calls on Iran to provide urgent medical treatment to Zeinab Jalalian, the country's longest-held female political prisoner. Zeinab Jalalian, a Kurdish women’s rights activist, was handed a death sentence in 2008, later commuted to life imprisonment, after a deeply flawed trial. She is currently held in Yazd Central Prison, where at least eight prisoners — including one woman — were reportedly executed in the past two months. Despite suffering from several potentially life-threatening illnesses, Iranian authorities have consistently denied Zeinab access to the medical care she urgently needs for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Joint UATC Statement on the Democratic Republic of Congo

A joint statement by United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) - REDRESS, FIACAT, APT, IRCT, OMCT, Omega Research Foundation - together with AFIA MAMA and our partners from Congolese civil society, delivered to the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Killing Sri Lankan Journalists: The Case of Nimalarajan Mylvaganam

In October 2000, BBC journalist Nimalarajan Mylvaganam was assassinated in his home in Jaffna, one of the earliest targeted killings of a Tamil journalist during Sri Lanka’s civil war. His murder became a symbol of the deadly cost of reporting amid ethnic conflict and state-sponsored violence, and of the entrenched climate of impunity that has silenced dozens of journalists. Between 2000 and 2010, at least 44 media workers were killed in Sri Lanka—yet not a single perpetrator has ever been brought to justice.

This joint report by REDRESS and the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) offers a forensic examination of the Sri Lankan justice system’s handling of Nimalarajan’s case. Drawing on two decades of court records, it exposes how investigative failures, political interference, and deliberate inaction ensured that accountability was never possible. While some suspects were detained, politically connected figures evaded justice and even fled abroad. Today, the case remains unresolved, with international efforts stalled by Sri Lanka’s lack of cooperation. The report underscores both the systemic failures that protected perpetrators and the urgent need for renewed action to secure justice for Nimalarajan and other murdered journalists.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Context of Social Protest in Latin America

This report published by REDRESS, the Academy on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), and the Latin American Network for Gender-Based Strategic Litigation (ReLeG), exposes how sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has been systematically used as a tool of political and social repression in protests across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela. The first study of its kind in the region, it highlights how SGBV is deliberately weaponised against women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and other marginalised groups, coinciding with broader state efforts to shrink civic space through criminalisation of protesters, mass arrests, and impunity for security forces. Survivors often face silence due to fear, stigma, and lack of justice, perpetuating a cycle of violence that demands urgent accountability.    

Briefing Paper: UK Supreme Court Rules on Sanctions Proportionality

This briefing covers the UK Supreme Court’s landmark 29 July 2025 ruling in Shvidler and Dalston Projects, which upheld the legality of the UK’s sanctions regime and clarified how proportionality and human rights claims should be assessed. The Court confirmed that sanctions targeting associates of sanctioned individuals are lawful, proportionate, and necessary to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine, reinforcing the UK’s use of economic restrictions as a foreign policy tool.

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Briefing Paper: Strengthening Universal Jurisdiction in the UK

This briefing paper outlines the concept of universal jurisdiction, identifies gaps in the UK’s legal framework that hinder its effective use, and makes recommendations to address them through targeted amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 to ensure accountability for the most serious international crimes.

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Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Sanctions Mid-Year Update

This briefing provides an overview of recent developments in the United States’ (US), United Kingdom’s (UK), European Union’s (EU), Canada’s, and Australia’s use of their targeted human rights and anticorruption sanctions programmes from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.

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Factsheet: Addressing Torture Against LGBTIQ+ Persons in Malawi

This factsheet was prepared by REDRESS and Center for the Development of People (CEDEP) ahead of the 50th Universal Periodic Review pre-session. It discusses the widespread torture and ill-treatment of LGBTIQ+ persons in Malawi, driven by discriminatory laws, stigma, and systemic neglect. It also highlights gaps in legal protection, impunity for perpetrators, and denial of justice for victims, and offers key recommendations ahead of Malawi’s upcoming UPR to end violence and discrimination.

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