Publications

This briefing note analyses the key elements of Sudan’s general amnesty, which was announced on 12 November 2020, and provides several points of clarification for the transitional government on the resolution’s scope of application.

The report stems from extensive research and consultations that were carried out with victims of armed conflict in Guatemala and Uganda. Both countries have been the focus of international assistance for transitional justice for many years and, as such, they provide a long-term perspective on what has worked and what has not in terms of victim participation. This report is our attempt to recapitulate and explain what “victim-centred” should mean in the specific context of transitional justice. What is meaningful and can lead to change and what is merely ticking the box or promoting a mantra without providing the space for victims to shape their own future?

This briefing note summarises the main elements of the UK global human rights (‘GHR’) sanctions regime, which was introduced on 6 July 2020, and authorises the imposition of financial and immigration sanctions on individuals in order to deter and provide accountability for involvement in certain serious human rights violations.

Our Annual Review 2020 sets out what REDRESS achieved from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. Our work was truly international, spanning five continents and over 40 countries. Amongst our many successes, we secured a landmark judgment at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which will help to protect LGBT+ persons in Latin America and beyond from discriminatory torture. We helped to build a new network of torture survivors of the conflict in Uganda, which advocated for the introduction of a new transitional justice law that will finally allow survivors to access effective reparations. We held the UK government to account for failing to support a British citizen detained in Panama, and persuaded the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to introduce changes in how they operate.      

This Report examines the extent to which the specialised units within the EU that investigate and prosecute serious international crimes uphold EU standards on victims’ rights. It is based on research conducted between 2019 and 2020, including approximately 140 interviews with practitioners and policy makers in five Member States—Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The Report includes five country chapters that examine the law and practice in these countries as well as an analysis of common challenges and emerging best practices. It provides a roadmap for improving victims’ access to information, protection and support.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a second trial against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on 8th September 2020. The second court case repeats the numerous violations of her rights under international human rights law and Iranian law that occurred in her first conviction as outlined in this briefing note.

This report on our activities sets out what REDRESS achieved from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. Our work was truly international, spanning five continents and over 40 countries. Amongst our many successes: we secured a landmark judgment at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which will help to protect LGBT+ persons in Latin America and beyond from discriminatory torture; we helped to build a new network of torture survivors of the conflict in Uganda, which advocated for the introduction of a new transitional justice law that will finally allow survivors to access effective reparations; we held the UK government to account for failing to support a British citizen detained in Panama, and persuaded the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to introduce changes in how they operate.

This Report Summary outlines the main findings of the report Not Without Us: Strengthening Victim Participation in Transitional Processes in Uganda. Uganda is a country whose complex cycle of conflicts at different stages of its development has created untold suffering for its citizens. The report analyses some of the challenges in translating the promise of victim-centred processes from rhetoric into reality. The report is based on research and activities carried out by REDRESS, Emerging Solutions Africa (ESA) and the Uganda Victims’ Foundation (UVF), between November 2017 and March 2020, under the project: Strengthening Victim Participation in the Fight against Impunity for International Crimes. Activities included victim forums in the areas most affected by the war in Uganda and high-level policy conferences in Kampala and The Hague. The project aimed to support victims of international crimes and the local organisations assisting them to participate meaningfully in local, national, and international transitional justice processes.