Publications

This practice note explains what holistic strategic litigation is, and how to do it in the context of torture and ill-treatment cases, in particular before international and regional human rights treaty bodies. It makes suggestions based on academic commentaries, research reports, and practical experience. It will be useful for those new to strategic litigation, to find out more about the technique, and also for more experienced practitioners, to encourage reflection on how they do it. REDRESS would like to thank the Matrix Causes Fund and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture for their generous support of this project.

Sudan’s transitional government has taken some important steps towards securing justice for past human rights violations and international crimes in Sudan, but more is needed. As this policy briefing discusses, this includes additional progress on the planned justice institutions under the Juba Peace Agreement and Constitutional Charter 2019, and the elimination of remaining legal and institutional obstacles to accountability. To date, the perpetrators of serious human rights violations and international crimes in Sudan have, by and large, not been held accountable, even as human rights violations continue throughout Sudan.

This guide is part of a series of practice notes designed to support holistic strategic litigation on behalf of torture survivors. It is aimed at lawyers, researchers, activists, and health professionals who assist torture survivors in the litigation process. It reproduces the substantive provisions of key international and regional legal instruments on the protection against and prevention of torture. It can be used to identify the elements of the crime of torture in the context of international and regional human rights law, humanitarian and criminal law, and provides for standards on redress and the treatment of persons in detention. It can help inform legal arguments and provide for quick reference at hearings or meetings. REDRESS would like to thank the Matrix Causes Fund and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture for their generous support of this project.

The 2021 Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review (UJAR) highlights the impact of COVID-19 on prosecutions of torture, war crimes and other universal jurisdiction crimes across the world. It was researched and produced by TRIAL International with the contribution of REDRESS, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Center for Justice and Accountability and Civitas Maxima. It benefited from the generous support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Oak Foundation, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom and the City of Geneva.

REDRESS and the People's Legal Aid Centre (PLACE) made this submission as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sudan. The submission focuses on progress made by Sudan's transitional government towards the effective prohibition of torture and other human rights abuses, as well as the additional steps needed to ensure their non-repetition and accountability for past violations,

Perpetrators of torture and other serious human rights violations often profit financially from the abuses they carry out, whether directly (for example, through the proceeds of forced labour) or indirectly (for example, as part of a broader scheme of grand corruption). Yet, rarely are perpetrators deprived of their assets, nor do survivors receive reparations to repair adequately the harm they have suffered. With the support of the Knowledge Platform for Security & Rule of Law, we have identified a number of models that can promote financial accountability, through seizing or confiscating perpetrators’ illicit assets, and/or using those assets to pay reparations to their victims.

REDRESS’ Framework for Financial Accountability for Torture and Other Human Rights Abuses  is designed to be used by NGOs and practitioners around the world that act on behalf of victims. It aims to serve as a tool to help identify, develop and evaluate potential case strategies for pursuing financial accountability for torture and other serious human rights abuses.  The Framework identifies a range of legal and advocacy models that promote financial accountability, and challenge the financial impunity that some perpetrators enjoy. A core objective is to use perpetrators’ assets to fund reparations for their victims where appropriate mechanisms permit this.  

As the European Union was expected to announce on 22 March 2021 sanctions against senior Chinese officials and entities linked to human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, REDRESS wrote on 19 March 2021 to the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, calling for urgent action from the UK government in imposing similar sanctions. REDRESS’s new letter to the Foreign Secretary highlights the anticipated EU sanctions, and urges the UK to join its international allies in sanctioning Chinese officials.