On 24 to 27 April 2013, a panel of nine experts with extensive experience in processes involving a large number of victims met in The Hague to consider challenges that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently facing in giving effect to the rights of victims to participate in the Court's proceedings. The meeting was organised by Amnesty International and REDRESS, in consultation with the panel members and the ICC. This report, which is based on the panel's review of the current participation system and detailed consultations with the ICC and NGOs, sets out its findings, including principles and recommendations aimed at strengthening the participation system and ensuring that participation is effective and meaningful for victims.
This study presents the key findings of a regional expert meeting on torture held in collaboration with the Asian Human Rights Commission (ACHR) in Hong Kong in 2011. The meeting brought together practitioners from a number of countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The discussions focused on structural factors, such as legislative deficiencies, weak institutions and impunity, which perpetuate torture as well as on strategic responses, including documentation, litigation and advocacy. This study presents the findings in relation to patterns of torture and common challenges experienced in the region, together with a number of detailed country studies based on contributions by participants and supplementary research.
This shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), for consideration of the combined 6th and 7th Report of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), focuses on the issue of access to justice for women victims of sexual violence committed in the context of the conflict in the DRC. It highlights a series of priority concerns related to access to justice and includes recommendations for each of those concerns, in order to assist the Committee in its examination of the DRC’s report and its dialogue with the DRC delegation.
This report provides a review of laws, practices and patterns of torture, examining the availability and effectiveness of safeguards, accountability mechanisms and avenues to obtain reparation for torture in several countries of the Americas region, including Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, United States of America and Venezuela. It reflects both systemic challenges and best practices identified by participants of a regional expert meeting that was held in Lima, Peru, in 2012, as part of the REDRESS initiative “Reparation for Torture: Global Sharing of Expertise”, supported by the European Union.
This submission is in response to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s invitation for submissions of evidence in respect of its inquiry announced on 17 April 2013 into “Human Rights and Democracy: The 2012 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Report”. REDRESS's submission addresses two issues in particular: the FCO’s efforts to strengthen the ability of states to counter terrorism whilst working to protect human rights in those states; the declaration by G8 Foreign Ministers on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict, and the impact of the FCO’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. Other aspects covered include human rights for British nationals tortured abroad; the UK as a safe haven for suspected perpetrators of human rights abuses; torture prevention and reparation; and countries of concern.
From 23-24 April 2013, representatives of 13 Palestinian, Israeli, and international organisations, and a number of international lawyers and legal experts, came together in Malaga, Spain, to discuss the critical situation facing Palestinian victims who attempt to seek compensation for death, injury, and destruction of property. In this statement, the organisation call on the international, Israeli and Palestinian legal communities to confront these challenges and help to remove the obstacles to justice and redress for Palestinian victims.
This submission, authored by REDRESS, Advocacy Forum-Nepal and the Association for the Prevention of Torture, was made in relation to the pre-sessional meeting of the country taskforce on Nepal during the 108th session of the Human Rights Committee that took place from 8 to 26 July 2013. This submission sets out the organisations' main concerns in relation to Nepal's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including the widespread impunity for past and ongoing human rights violations.
In this submission, REDRESS comments on some of the Issues for consideration of the Committee against Torture in its examination of the UK’s 5th State Party Report. Some of REDRESS' concerns are direct consequences of the UK’s counter-terrorism policies, particularly the role of the security services, along with the conduct of the armed forces in Iraq and in Afghanistan, which have damaged the UK’s credibility as a State committed to the eradication of torture, and risk undermining the positive steps it has taken to advance the anti-torture agenda worldwide.
