International Commission of Jurists

02/09/2026

🎙️Podcast | “Dialogues on Judicial Independence”

The Pillars of Justice: How Judicial Independence Is Built

We are launching the first episode of “Dialogues on Judicial Independence,” an initiative of the International Commission of Jurists dedicated to analyzing one of the fundamental pillars of the rule of law: judicial independence.

Judicial independence is not a technical debate reserved for legal experts. It is a direct safeguard to protect people against abuse, discrimination, violence, and arbitrary detention—and it particularly benefits those who lack political or economic power.

In this first episode, we speak with Yolanda Pérez, a trial judge and appellate court judge for more than 20 years, former president of the Guatemalan Bar Association, and a specialist in criminal law with doctoral studies in law and justice.

🔹The episode’s main topics:
🔹The direct impact on citizens.
🔹Vulnerabilities in the Nomination Commissions.
🔹The weaponization of the disciplinary system.
🔹Possible solutions.
🔹Justice officials in exile.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here:

👉YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjcYxCf5he0&t=2s

👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6GCLgl0rKGflOqypNMQjEW?si=O0RHNuzXT5q56zZeO9NIcw&nd=1&dlsi=eb342d2c4d4147d4

Diálogos por la Independencia Judicial · Episode

01/09/2026

On 26–27 August in Bangkok, ICJ Asia Pacific Legal Adviser Karuna Parajuli participated in the Second Session of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities 2023–2032, held at the United Nations office in Bangkok.

The Second Session brought together Governments and civil society organizations, organisations working on the issue of the rights of persons with disabilities, from across the Asia-Pacific to take stock of progress, exchange good practices and lessons learned, and contribute to the midpoint review of the Jakarta Declaration and its implementation tools.

During the meeting, Ms. Parajuli highlighted the ICJ’s work to advance access to justice for persons with disabilities, including through an intersectional approach that recognizes and addresses the particular barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities.

She also highlighted efforts to support implementation of the commitments under the Jakarta Declaration through the Kathmandu Declaration on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities. The Kathmandu Declaration calls for action to address the legal, policy, systemic, and attitudinal barriers that continue to prevent persons with disabilities from accessing justice on an equal basis.

ICJ continues to engage with justice sector actors across the region to strengthen awareness and capacity, promote inclusive justice systems, and support legal and institutional reforms consistent with international human rights standards.

31/08/2026

The ICJ is pleased to join Civitas Maxima and partner organisations in filing an amicus curiae brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in support of Sudanese plaintiffs in Kashef et al. v. BNP Paribas.

We firmly argue that, under the broader Swiss legal framework, participation in international crimes, including through their financing, is unlawful and may give rise to liability where the applicable legal requirements are met.

Corporate complicity in human rights violations must be subject to robust accountability. A narrow or selective reading of national law should not shield financial institutions from accountability for their potential role in facilitating international crimes.

Read more about the joint filing below. 👇

Civitas Maxima and international rights organisations file amicus brief in support of Sudanese plaintiffs in appeal against BNP Paribas

30/08/2026

"No person should be erased into silence."

To mark 30 August, International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the International Commission of Jurists spoke with Débora Benchoam: former Senior Specialist at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and a survivor of illegal detention during Argentina's military dictatorship (1976–1983), where she was imprisoned for four years as a teenager.

In this interview, Débora draws on both her personal experience and over two decades of legal expertise to examine one of the gravest human rights violations of our time, one that has never disappeared, but continues to evolve.

Enforced disappearances are no longer confined to the authoritarian regimes of the 20th century. Today, organized crime, human trafficking, and armed groups, frequently operating in collusion with or under the tolerance of state authorities, have created a far more complex landscape of responsibility and impunity.

Families of the disappeared continue to face structural obstacles: misclassified crimes, sealed archives, unlinked DNA databases, and political denialism. And while criminal convictions remain essential, they are not enough. Truth, institutional reform, integral reparations, and memory, co-designed with victims' families, are indispensable pillars of justice.

At the international level, legal bodies and civil society organizations play a critical role: from strategic litigation before regional human rights mechanisms, to shielding the judges, lawyers, and journalists who challenge impunity at personal risk.

On this day, the ICJ reaffirms its commitment to standing alongside victims, survivors, and their families in their search for truth, justice, and reparation — and calls on all States to ratify and fully implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

🎥 Watch the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuSAByamxXY

To mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappeara...

28/08/2026

Despite legal safeguards, children in conflict with the law may still face unequal treatment due to language barriers, disability, socioeconomic disadvantage, minority background, or unconscious bias. Individual assessments do not always capture the child's circumstances, and professionals often lack training on non-discrimination, diversity, and child-sensitive approaches.
The good practices highlighted in this series show the importance of:
✔️ Individual assessments that take account of each child's needs, circumstances, and vulnerabilities
✔️ Multidisciplinary cooperation in decision-making
✔️ Training that helps professionals recognise and address unconscious bias
✔️ Child-centred approaches that promote fairness, inclusion, and equal treatment
Every child deserves to be treated as an individual and to have their rights respected without discrimination.

👉 Read more:https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ACCESS_Compendium-of-good-practices_EN.pdf

Partners:
Български хелзинкски комитет
Défense des Enfants International DEI Belgique
Forum for Human Rights
Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka
NJCM - Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten

27/08/2026

Before there was international law on enforced disappearance, there were families demanding answers.

On 30 August, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) joins the international community in marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, which this year coincides with the 20th anniversary of the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

But the Convention was the end of a much longer journey — one driven by families of the disappeared who refused to accept silence.

From Guatemala and Argentina to the creation of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in 1980, their demands for truth and justice helped transform enforced disappearance from a practice that international law struggled to address into a distinct human rights violation subject to international protection.

The word existed before the law did. Families helped build the law.

Today, the ICJ reaffirms its commitment to standing alongside victims, survivors and their families in the pursuit of truth, justice and reparation.

On 30 August, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) joins the wider international community in marking the International Day of the Victi

26/08/2026

📢 Webinar — The Right to Know the Truth: Remembering Victims of Enforced Disappearance in Myanmar

Since the military coup in February 2021, enforced and involuntary disappearances have increased significantly in Myanmar, leaving victims and their families searching for answers about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.

On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, join us for a timely discussion on enforced disappearance in Myanmar through the lens of international human rights law.

The webinar will explore:
• What is enforced disappearance, and what protections does international human rights law provide?
• What is the mandate of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID)?
• How can victims, families, lawyers and civil society organisations submit cases to the WGEID?
• Why is documenting cases of enforced disappearance essential for preserving evidence and pursuing truth, justice and accountability?

🎙 Speakers
Saw Albert — Research and Advocacy Director, Karen Human Rights Group
John — Project Coordinator, Chin Human Rights Organization
Micheal Howard — Advocacy and Research Manager, Chin Human Rights Organization
Miriam Lang-Treglown — Human Rights Officer, UN Human Rights - Asia
Pratubjit Neelapaijit — Human Rights Officer, UN Human Rights - Asia
👤 Moderated by Zar Li Aye — Associate Legal Adviser, International Commission of Jurists - Asia & the Pacific

🗓️ 28 August 2026
🕕 18:00–19:00 (MMT)
💻 Platform: Zoom
🌐 Burmese–English simultaneous interpretation available
✍️ Register now to receive your unique link to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_khGMiD06RSK6wt7DF9wjWw

25/08/2026

⚠️ : Osman Kavala must be immediately released following landmark European Court judgment

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has delivered a landmark judgment in the case of Osman Kavala, finding that his continued detention is unlawful and that his rights to a fair trial, freedom of expression, and freedom of association have been violated.

The Court further found that Kavala’s aggravated life sentence amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment, and that the Turkish authorities acted in bad faith by keeping him unlawfully detained. Critically, the Court concluded that his conviction pursued the ulterior purpose of punishing and silencing him and preventing his human rights work. It ordered his release at the earliest possible date and quashed his conviction.

The International Commission of Jurists, together with Human Rights Watch and the Turkey Litigation Support Project, submitted a joint intervention to the Court on the core human rights issues at stake.

This is the third time the European Court has ruled on Kavala’s situation. In 2019, it found that his detention pursued the ulterior purpose of silencing him as a human rights defender and ordered his immediate release. In 2022, the Court found Türkiye in breach of its obligation to abide by that judgment.

As ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme Director Temur Shakirov said: “It must now honour those obligations, and the Council of Europe needs to act to ensure it does.”

The latest judgment represents a defining test for the effectiveness and credibility of the European human rights system. Türkiye must immediately and unconditionally release Osman Kavala and quash his conviction, while the Council of Europe must take all necessary measures to secure implementation of the Court’s judgments.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights today delivered a landmark judgment in the case of Osman Kavala, the human rights defende

24/08/2026

Despite international standards requiring detention to be used only as a last resort, children across the EU continue to face deprivation of liberty that is prolonged, insufficiently reviewed, or applied where community-based alternatives could be available. In some cases, children may be transferred to adult systems, held alongside adults, or placed in institutions through non-criminal procedures without adequate safeguards.
The good practices highlighted in this series show the importance of:
✔️ Using detention only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period
✔️ Promoting community-based, restorative, and family-centred alternatives to detention
✔️ Ensuring independent monitoring and oversight of places where children are deprived of liberty
✔️ Protecting children's rights, well-being, education, and family ties throughout any period of detention
Every child has the right to liberty, dignity, and development, and detention should never be the default response.

👉 Read more:https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ACCESS_Compendium-of-good-practices_EN.pdf

Partners:
Български хелзинкски комитет
Défense des Enfants International DEI Belgique
Forum for Human Rights
Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka
NJCM - Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten

21/08/2026

Sudan: ICJ joins call to extend UN Fact-Finding Mission and strengthen accountability

Ahead of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), together with nearly 70 civil society organizations, is calling on UN Member States to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan (FFM) for two years and provide it with the resources necessary to fully implement its mandate.

As grave violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law continue in the context of the conflict in Sudan, the FFM remains a critical mechanism for documenting violations, collecting and preserving evidence, identifying perpetrators, and supporting accountability efforts.

The joint letter calls for adequate financial resources, expertise, and institutional support for the Mission, including support to investigate ongoing violations and to report on the findings of its urgent inquiry into violations allegedly committed in and around El Obeid, as requested by the Human Rights Council in July 2026.

The signatories also call for stronger coordination between the FFM and African regional human rights mechanisms, including through cooperation and information-sharing with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights-led Joint Fact-Finding Mission. They further stress the need to address the role of external actors supporting parties to the conflict and to ensure that those responsible for violations can ultimately be brought to justice.

For the ICJ, strengthening independent international investigations and accountability mechanisms is essential where national authorities are unwilling or unable to conduct genuine, thorough, prompt and impartial investigations and prosecutions.

Ahead of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), together with close to 70 civil society