Publications

Redress has submitted comments to the Registrar’s ReVision project as it relates to victims' rights before the International Criminal Court. This project is designed to re-organize and streamline the Registrar’s organizational structure and operations. Our comments focus on those aspects of the project that relate to the victims’ mandate of the Registry. We strongly urge the Registry to seek and take into account the views of victims and affected communities when determining how best to design victims’ function in the field. In order to do this the Registry should consider using planned field missions over the coming months to gather additional information from victims and intermediaries.

REDRESS in collaboration with partner organisations, has urged Latvia - the current holder of the EU Presidency - to prioritise the fight against impunity for serious international crimes at the upcoming Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meeting, in order to raise awareness of the challenges faced by national criminal justice authorities of the EU in investigating, prosecuting and punishing serious international crimes. Other organisations supporting the letter are the Fédération Internationale des ligues des droits de L'Homme (FIDH), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Amnesty International (AI), Track Impunity Always (TRIAL), Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and RCN Justice & Démocratie.

The Victims' Rights Working Group, a coalition of experts and civil society organisations informally facilitated by REDRESS, made a series of recommendations to the Assembly of States Parties that meet in New York from 8 to 17 of December 2014. Some of the recommendations to ICC Member States included: that it consults broadly during the 2015 review process of the Victims' Strategy; that it also reviews with broad consultation the Guidelines on Intermediaries and that it ensures that sufficient resources are allocated for its dissemination; and that it continues to engage in discussions with victims' legal representatives and civil society experts on how to improve the current system for victims' participation and legal representation. The VRWG also made some recommendations to the Court, including that any review of the Court's practices on victims-related issues tries to ensure reparative, effective and meaningful procedures, not merely less costly ones, and that the adopted Guidelines on Intermediaries are made available in different languages.

In this letter, REDRESS and other NGOs urge the UK Prime Minister to establish an inquiry into UK involvement in rendition and torture, with the powers and independence it needs to get to the truth, and a mechanism to allow the meaningful participation of victims. The other NGOs are the AIRE Centre, Amnesty International UK, Cage, Freedom from Torture, JUSTICE, Liberty, Reprieve and Rights Watch UK.

REDRESS has published a new handbook to help victims of serious international crimes and their families access support and justice in the European Union with partners FIDH and TRIAL. It aims to serve as a guide for victims of serious international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and enforced disappearance) who are interested in filing a formal complaint within the EU as well as victims who are already seeking justice through EU courts. It may also be useful for victims that are seeking asylum as well as individuals living in another country outside the EU, but have information or evidence which suggests that persons or organisations responsible for what happened are inside the EU.  

REDRESS submitted a report to the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) about the prevalence of torture in Sri Lanka, to aid the Office's Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL). In particular, the submission addressed developments relating to torture in the period 2002-2011, with a focus on state responsibility. The submission highlighted cases of torture that REDRESS and others brought before the UN Human Rights Committee, including Sri Lanka’s failure to engage with the Committee in response to individual complaints, and to implement the Committee’s views. It argues that the lack of response to complaints at the international level forms part of the broader problem of the systemic nature of torture and impunity in Sri Lanka. This includes the failure of Sri Lanka to undertake the legislative and institutional reforms needed to bring relevant law and practice in line with its international obligations.  

In this letter addressed to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, REDRESS and other NGOs question whether the decision of the UK government to ask this Committee to investigate the treatment of detainees and the UK involvement in rendition was lawful or appropriate.The organisations also reiterate the need to establish an independent judicial inquiry into these matters. The other NGOs are the AIRE Centre, Amnesty International UK, Cage, Freedom from Torture, JUSTICE, Liberty, Reprieve and Rights Watch UK.  

In these comments, Amnesty International, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), the Enough Project, Human Rights Watch, South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA) and REDRESS highlight several key concerns regarding the draft National Security Service Bill of 8 October 2014 of South Sudan. The Bill was originally tabled before the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in May 2014. The third reading took place on 8 October 2014. While some positive changes were incorporated into the Bill, the organisations remain concerned that it would give the NSS broad powers, without sufficient oversight and safeguards against abuse. Therefore, they call on members of parliament to vote against the Bill during the final reading and to make further amendments to bring it in line with South Sudan’s Constitution and with regional and international human rights obligations.