Human Rights

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SDG Report 2020: The Civil, Political, Economic, Social, Cultural, and Development Rights Crises Deepening in the Global South

July 15, 2020

Diane Desierto

The United Nations recently released its Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020, and the results are expectedly grim during this global pandemic. Not only has the world fallen well off track from Agenda 2030 objectives - including the eradication of poverty - but the deepening inequalities within the Global South augur even worse outcomes for the most vulnerable populations on the planet: children, women, the elderly, disabled, informal sector workers, communities already experiencing extreme poverty, refugees and migrants. Development aid has already been on the decline globally for several years, whether from 'Global North' countries (such as the UK; United States; Australia; Canada) or behemoth 'Global South' countries (such as China, Brazil), fueling resounding warnings about "the end of aid". In a nutshell, the UN summarizes some of the key 2020 SDG findings as: "An estimated 71 million people are expected to be pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020, the first rise in global poverty since 1998. Lost incomes, limited social protection and rising prices mean…

Attribution, Jurisdiction, Discrimination, Decapitation: A Comment on Makuchyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan and Hungary

July 10, 2020

Marko Milanovic

You know how, every once in a while, you read a case that has everything? I mean really everything? Great facts. Grisly facts even, for those so inclined – say involving a beheading by a state agent. Great law. Not just some genuine legal innovation worthy of scholarly commentary – that’s fine obviously, but not all that uncommon.

Private Security, Human Rights, and Covid-19

July 2, 2020

Sorcha MacLeod

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a leap in demand for certain types of private security services from both States and businesses, and exacerbation of existing challenges in the sector. Many governments and other actors, such as the European Commission, are categorising private security as an ‘essential service’ or ‘critical occupation.’…

The Internationalisation of Black Lives Matter at the Human Rights Council

June 26, 2020

Sejal Parmar

‘Black Lives Matter’ resonated at the Human Rights Council on 17 June during the urgent debate on the ‘current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests’. The stirring words of Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, the speech of Michelle Bachelet, the UN…

The right to enter his or her own country

June 23, 2020

Rutsel Martha

Stephen Bailey

The tension between the right of the State to regulate entry into its jurisdiction and the right of the individual to move freely has come to the fore in the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to contain the transmission of COVID-19, it has been reported that Samoa denied entry to eight of its nationals, and…

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On Whether IHL Applies to Drone Strikes Outside ‘Areas of Active Hostilities’: A Response to Ryan Goodman

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Over on Just Security, Ryan Goodman has an excellent post entitled Why the Laws of War Apply to Drone Strikes Outside “Areas of Active Hostilities” (A Memo to the Human Rights Community). In sum, Ryan argues that human rights activists have been too radical in their critique of US drone strike policy, as reflected in the Presidential…