Publications

REDRESS provided comments to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on her office's Draft Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender Based Crimes. The development of a policy on gender based crimes is an important tool to address in a holistic manner the investigation and prosecution of some among the most serious crimes falling within any gravity criteria employed by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).

The Project for Criminal Law Reform (www.pclrs.com), a joint initiative by REDRESS and the Sudanese Human Rights Monitor, has identified a series of shortcomings in Sudan’s legal system, particularly in respect of Sudan’s international human rights obligations, and advocated reforms over the last seven years. This Compilation of Advocacy Briefings, which covers four briefings published in the period May 2013 to January 2014, highlights a number of key areas of concern:  torture, immunities as a barrier to justice and the right to protest. In addition, it draws together the multiple recommendations made by regional and international human rights bodies.    

In this letter addressed to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Africa, REDRESS and other human rights groups that provide medical, psychological or legal assistance to victims of torture or ill-treatment discuss how to further strengthen the rights of victims of torture and ill-treatment in Africa, including through the adoption of a General Comment on part III of the Robben Island Guidelines. They also outline the work of their  Pan-African Right to Reparation Initiative.

This paper outlines the recommendations made by the Victims' Rights Working Group, a coalition of civil society groups and experts informally facilitated by REDRESS, to the 12th Session of the Assembly of States Parties that took place in The Hague in November 2013. It calls on States Parties to keep victims’ concerns at the centre of discussions and to refrain from supporting any proposals or amendments which may undermine the Rome Statute and/or condone immunity from prosecutions for alleged perpetrators of ICC crimes.    

In this letter, written ahead of the 15th meeting of the EU Genocide Network, REDRESS and other human rights groups draw attention to a new initiative regarding EU responses to challenges faced by EU practitioners in the effective investigation and prosecution of crimes under international law.

Following the UK Government’s announcement of plans to significantly reduce access to legal aid, REDRESS has submitted comments as part of the Government’s consultation. The comments focus on the particular impact of the cuts on access to justice for victims of torture.

The report explains how regional human rights mechanisms, in particular the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, play a key part in upholding the rights of victims, including the right to reparation. The report finds that while significant progress has been made, more could be done to ensure “a holistic, victim-centered approach on reparation for victims of gross human rights violations in Africa”.