Suchergebnisse

This article examines some of the major contributions of and the challenges UN treaty bodies have encountered since the creation of the first such institution, the Committee on Racial Discrimination, in 1969. It looks at the roles played by treaty bodies in interpretating and monitoring compliance with UN human rights treaties, including questions about the effectiveness of procedures, inclusive of individual petitions and the remedies they may afford. It questions whether new procedures like inquiry and investigation may prove more beneficial to victims of abuse than the earlier and less- intrusive measures states were willing to accept. The dearth of reliable evidence on implementation and state enforcement of international human rights treaties makes overall conclusions about the value added by treaty bodies more anecdotal or impressionistic than reliable.

In only its second merits judgment, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (Court) placed strict limits on penalizing expression, especially that of journalists, in states party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (African Charter). In doing so, the African Court narrowly interpreted the often-criticized "clawback clauses" in the African Charter and relied instead on the tests of necessity, proportionality, and legitimate aim applied by other human rights tribunals to determine the legality of restrictions on rights.

The Earl of Chesterfield cautioned his godson: 'religion is by no means a proper subject of conversation in mixed company.' Reinforcing this advice, etiquette books since at least the middle of the 19th Century have opined that one should never discuss religion, politics or money in polite society. Presenting the inaugural lecture at the 44th Study Session of the International Institute of Human Rights, which was the basis of this article, required violating at least two of the three stated strictures of polite society, while remaining aware that their very existence represents an acknowledgement of the deep passions and potential conflicts the subjects can incite, however neutrally or hesitatingly they are introduced.[1]. Adapted from the source document.

The right of self-determination has long been celebrated for bringing independence and self-government to oppressed groups, yet it remains a highly controversial norm of international law. From the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires after World WarI to the struggle of colonial territories for independence following World War II and the later dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, there has been an unavoidable conflict between the efforts of peoples to achieve independence and the demands of existing states to preserve their territorial integrity.