Reconciliation and the Northern Ireland Legacy Act: A Human Rights Perspective – Part 1
In February 2024, the High Court in Belfast declared in Dillon and others that fundamental aspects of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are unlawful and should...
The dark side of amnesty laws: impunity guaranteed. The case of Nicaragua
Amnesty laws can, in principle, be an acceptable transitional justice mechanism. It is sometimes the case that, due to lack of resources or political instability, criminal prosecutions are not a...
El lado oscuro de las leyes de amnistía: impunidad garantizada. El caso de Nicaragua
Las leyes de amnistía son, en principio, herramientas de justicia transicional perfectamente aceptables. En ocasiones, debido a factores tales como escasez de recursos o inestabilidad política, no es posible juzgar...
Tanzania’s Colonial Relic: A Thread of Capital Punishment
The death penalty (capital punishment) is abolished in many African countries and applied under exceptional circumstances in 16 of the 30 African countries where it is retained. However, Tanzania still...
One year on, US journalist Evan Gershkovich remains a state hostage in Russia
For the past twelve months, US journalist Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, has been held in a Moscow prison awaiting trial. Arrested by security services on...
How Texas’ Proposed Criminalisation of Immigration Jeopardises Human Rights Commitments
Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) —which is currently blocked from taking effect— is the latest in a long line of repressive strategies that the state of Texas is using to...
La Belgique criminalise l’écocide: une (imparfaite) première européenne
Le 22 février 2024, la Belgique a marqué l’histoire en adoptant un nouveau code pénal criminalisant l’écocide dans son droit interne. Il s’agit de la première fois qu’une telle interdiction...
Belgium Recognises the Crime of Ecocide: A (Lukewarm) European First
On 22 February 2024, Belgium made history by adopting a new penal code that criminalises ‘ecocide’ at the national level. This marks the first time that such a domestic prohibition...
Another Failed Execution: The United States’ Strained Relationship with the Right to Life
At 73 years of age, Thomas Creech is Idaho’s longest-serving death row inmate. He entered prison in 1974 and was slated to face execution on 28 February this year. As...
Alabama’s Manifest Injustice and the Inhumanity of Execution by Nitrogen Gas Inhalation
On 25 January Alabama intends to be the first US state to use nitrogen gas inhalation as an execution method. Despite a manifestly unjust trial, the presence of convincing science...
Nepal registers First Same-Sex Marriage: A Glimmer of Hope for Global LGBTQIA+
On 29 November 2023, Nepal became the second Asian Country to register a same-sex marriage after Taiwan. This represents a significant development in the struggle for marriage equality for the...
The Absentia Dilemma: The Introduction of Trial In-Absentia in Indian Legislation
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the successor to the Indian Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), is one of three new Indian Criminal Law bills, recently passed by the Parliament...