The Dangerous Path of Mexico’s Judicial Reform: What is at Stake for Judicial Independence in the Americas
Recently, Mexico’s President proposed a series of initiatives to reform the judiciary. This blog focuses on two of its elements: (1) replacing all judges with new ones elected by popular...
Supreme Federal Court of Brazil Resumes Discussions on Decriminalisation of Personal Use of Cannabis
In 2006, Brazil implemented a new drug law which continued to criminalise various activities related to illegal drugs, such as buying, possessing, transporting, or cultivating them for personal use. However,...
Giving Voice to the Vulnerable: How Advisory Opinions Have the Potential to Advance Climate Justice through International Courts
In the context of the current climate crisis, climate change litigation has taken a new form over the past year. There have been increasing requests for advisory opinions from international...
What’s next in Climate Litigation before the European Court of Human Rights? Duarte Agostinho and Others v Portugal and 32 other States
On 29 March 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) heard its first two climate cases (Verein Klima Seniorinnen and Others v Switzerland and Carême v France). Meanwhile, another...
Depathologising Gender Identity at the United Nations: A Call to South Africa
On 29 March 2023, a cross-regional group of countries led by Argentina, called for United Nations Member States to implement laws and policies based on self-determined gender identity. This reform...
La violencia obstétrica y su reconocimiento por la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos
Desde hace algunos años, la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (Corte IDH) ha desarrollado estándares en materia de derechos sexuales y reproductivos. Sin embargo, la Corte se ha encontrada reacia...
Obstetric Violence and its Recognition by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
For some years the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACoHR) has been developing standards regarding sexual and reproductive rights. However, the court has proven reluctant to recognise obstetric violence as...
Manuela v El Salvador: A Missed Opportunity for Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Image description: A march supporting decriminalisation of abortion. One of the participants is a woman wearing green (the symbol of sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America) and holding a...
The Inter-American Human Rights System on Public Security and Police Violence in Brazil: In Defence of a Rights-Based Approach to Security Policies
Three years after the “Favela Nova Brasília” case, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (‘IACtHR’) is hearing a second police violence case against Brazil, the “Castelinho”. The human rights violations...
Argentine Senate Rejects Bill on Abortion: The Way Forward
The Argentine Senate has recently rejected, by a 7-vote margin, a Bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies on the voluntary interruption of pregnancy. The Bill was heavily debated both...
Brazil’s Landmark Decision on Transgender Persons’ Official Documents
Language is a powerful tool, though often overlooked by fields unattached to linguistics. Vocabulary choice is especially sensitive when addressing legal aspects of equality and non-discrimination, where the rights of...
A Step Closer to Equality: LGBTQ+ Rights in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
In a landmark advisory opinion delivered on January 9th, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights stated that the twenty-three states parties to the American Human Rights Convention must legalize same-sex...