The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates), in collaboration with Mobilising for Rights Associates (MRA), submitted a joint stakeholder report on Women’s Rights in Libya to the UN Human Rights Council for Libya’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Serious violations of women’s rights occurred during the regime of Muammar Qaddafi, the 2011 revolution, and the post-revolution transition. Women in Libya continue to face serious violations of their human rights in the forms of sexual and gender based violence; discrimination in personal status; and discrimination in the political, economic and social fields. 

The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates), in collaboration with The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF), and The Alliance for Protection against Domestic Violence (APADV), submitted a joint stakeholder report to the UN Human Rights Council for Bulgaria’s second Universal Periodic Review. Domestic violence continues to be a widespread problem in Bulgaria. Since the First Universal Periodic Review in 2010, the Bulgarian Government has made notable steps in combating gender-based violence by regularly conducting public awareness campaigns designed to educate the public regarding the prevalence of gender-based violence, as well as the protective measures available to its victims. However, there are still areas of improvement needed to protect women from gender-based violence.

The Advocates for Human Rights and the International Oromo Youth Association submitted a parallel report to the African Commisison on Human and Peoples' Rights for its 56th session, when the Commission will examine Ethiopia's fifth and sixth peridoic country report on the implementaiton of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The parallel report addresses ethnic discrimination and other human rights concerns.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report on the death penalty in Malawi for the 56th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, when the Commisison will examine Malawi's implementation of hte African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The report addresses Malawi's compliance with its human rights obligations as they pertain to the death penalty, pretrial detention, adequate legal resources, and prison conditions. The Government of Malawi has yet to formally abolish the death penalty and has shown little willingness to do so.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for its August 2014 review of the United States of America. This submission details the treatment of immigrants and refugees in Minnesota in light of the United States' obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as documented in The Advocates' March 2014 report, Moving from Exclusion to Belonging: Immigrant Rights in Minnesota Today.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Greater Caribbean for Life and the Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty, submitted a shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for its August 2014 review of the United States of America. This report details the united States' international human rights obligations--especially with respect to racial and ethnic minorities--pertaining to the use of the death penalty.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the International Oromo Youth Association, submitted a report for the Pre-Sessional Working Group of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. This report identifies numerous violations of the rights of children in Ethiopia, particularly with respect to the rights of the child to equality, life, liberty, security, privacy, freedom of expression and association, family, basic health and welfare, education, and leisure and cultural activities. Unless otherwise noted in the report, these violations occur without distinction based on the ethnic group of the child. In some cases, however, children belonging to the Oromo ethnic group—the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia—face discrimination or other rights violations unique to their ethnicity. The Advocates has worked extensively with members of the Ethiopian diaspora for purposes of documenting human rights conditions in Ethiopia. Since 2004, The Advocates has documented reports from members of the Oromo ethnic group living in diaspora in the United States of human rights abuses they and their friends and family experienced in Ethiopia.

The Advocates for Human Rights, the Center for Prisoners’ Rights Japan, in conjunction with the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, submitted a report to the Human Rights Committee in preparation for its 111th session, when it will review Japan’s 6th periodic report. This report examines prison conditions and the imposition of the death penalty in Japan in light of international human rights standards. In regard to prison conditions, this report covers: life imprisonment and parole; solitary confinement; disciplinary measures and punishment; health, sanitation, and medical treatment in prisons; and grievance mechanisms. In regard to the death penalty, this report covers: quantitative data about imposition of the death penalty; lack of a mandatory appeal system; lay judge trials; prisoners with mental disorders; Japan’s “peace of mind” principle; and restrictions on death row inmates’ communication with the outside world.  

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Mobilising for Rights Associates, submitted a Joint Written Statement on violence against women for 2012 Morocco’s interim report subsequent to its Universal Periodic Review. This report assesses Morocco’s implementation to date of accepted UPR recommendations on women’s rights. The three categories of recommendations that were accepted by Morocco as part of the Universal Periodic Review were violence against women; abrogation of the provisions that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims, and adoption of measures to ensure their punishment; and modification of existing legislation to assure gender equality.   

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Iraqi Coalition Against the Death Penalty, submitted a joint stakeholder report to the U.N. Human Rights Council for its October-November 2014 Universal Periodic Review of Iraq. This submission describes Iraq’s international human rights obligations with regard to its use of the death penalty.

The Advocates for Human Rights—in collaboration with the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, Iran Human Rights (IHR), the Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva (KMMK-G), and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty—submitted a joint stakeholder report to the U.N. Human Rights Council for its October-November 2014 Universal Periodic Review of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This submission describes Iran’s international human rights obligations with regard to its use of the death penalty.

The Advocates for Human Rights has submitted a shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on violence against women in the Republic of Cameroon. Violence against women is a widespread problem despite Cameroon’s legal framework. The government has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and has signed the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. By ratifying and signing these instruments, Cameroon has promised to take action to prohibit all forms of violence against women, punish the perpetrators, provide services for victims, and take action to prevent violence against women.

The Advocates for Human Rights has submitted a shadow report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on the political participation of women in the Republic of Cameroon. Women make up 51% of the population of Cameroon but only 13.5% of the members in government. Unequal representation and barriers to participating in the political process are significant issues to address in Cameroon. Under Articles 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which Cameroon ratified in 1994, Cameroon has agreed to take measures to eliminate discrimination against women in political and public life, including equal voting rights and equal representation in all levels of government, and to eliminate discrimination against women in opportunities to represent Cameroon in an international capacity.

The Advocates for Human Rights has submitted a report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on the rights of women in the Republic of Cameroon. In 1994, Cameroon ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Covered under Article 10 of the document, Cameroon is to ensure equal rights for women in education including providing equal access to curricula, materials, teachers, and schools. Further, Cameroon Law No. 98/004 lays out the legal framework which guarantees rights to education and also mandates primary school at no cost. Despite legislative and international commitments, girls in Cameroon do not receive equal access to education. According to a 2012 study, only 46% of women and girls have finished primary education and the literacy rate of adult women is markedly lower than that of adult men.

The Advocates for Human Rights in collaboration with Detention Watch Network have made a submission to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on the migrant detention issues in the United States. The United States’ immigration detention system is riddled with systemic failures to protect human rights. The system has evolved with no regard to international human rights standards and is based on a penal model of corrections which fails to address the needs of a population detained for civil status violations. The reliance on detention reflects broader trends in the United States relating to racial discrimination, mass incarceration, and the criminalization of migration. This submission offers recommendations the United States should take in order to comply with its obligations under international human rights law.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a list of issues report focusing on the exploitation of child domestic labor in Morocco (or "petite bonnes") to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Although progress has been made in reducing the number of petite bonnes ("little maid" or child domestic workers), the issue of child domestic labor in Morocco remains a critical concern that will require meaningful enforcement of the laws in order to end the economic exploitation of thousands of children (mostly girls) in Morocco. In 2013, INSAF estimated that as many as 80,000 girls under the age of 15 are exploited as petite bonnes in private homes in Morocco and that 60% of the families employing them are aware of the illegality of child domestic labor. While the Moroccan government has made commendable efforts to reduce child labor, thousands of young girls continue to suffer as petites bonnes. The Advocates identified questions the Committee should pose during its review of Morocco’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to emphasize the ways in which Morocco should better protect the rights of children.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Mobilising for Rights Associates, submitted a list of issues report focusing on the sexual abuse of minors under Article 475 of the Moroccan Penal Code to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Article 475 of the Moroccan Penal Code provides that whoever "abducts or deceives" a minor, without using violence, threat or fraud, can escape prosecution and imprisonment if (i) the abductor marries the victim, and (ii) those persons who have a right to request annulment of the marriage do not file a complaint. Organizations and news reports from Morocco indicate that Article 475 has been applied in cases of sexual abuse of minors in order to perserve the "honor" of the victim and her family. Although bills have been introduced in the Moroccan Parliament that would amend or abrogate Article 475, no action has been taken on them to date. Given the factual situation on the ground in Morocco and the clear violations of Morocco's obligations under the Convention of the Rights of the Child, we recommend that the Committee further investigate the issue of marriage of minor girls, as well as the role Article 475 plays in instances of sexual abuse involving minors.

The Advocates for Human Rights (“AHR”) and Dechert LLP have submitted an amicus brief in further support of the request for a hearing pursuant to Article 66 of the IACHR Rules of Procedure filed by Gibbs Houston Pauw, the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, and the Boston College Post-Deportation Human Rights Project to present evidence on the continued widespread violations of family rights and the rights of children protected under the American Declaration. 

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, submitted a joint stakeholder report to the UN Human Rights Council for its October 2013 Universal Periodic Review of the Central African Republic (CAR). The CAR supported the 2012 UN General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, but nonetheless has continued arbitrary and prolonged detentions of individuals with the threat of torture or execution. The CAR has failed not only to maintain its duties to international law for the protection of individuals against the death penalty, but also to abolish the death penalty when it revised its criminal code in 2010. People accused of crimes in the CAR face serious threats to their human rights due to the country’s unstable criminal justice system, the use of torture in detention centers, and continued impunity for government officials who engage in human rights violations. This report recommends that the CAR abolish the death penalty de jure and address related human rights violations.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Harm Reduction International, submitted a joint stakeholder report on Malaysia’s human rights obligations regarding the death penalty to the UN Human Rights Council for its October 2013 Universal Periodic Review of Malaysia. Malaysia remains one of only 58 countries in the world that retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes. Malaysia violates international human rights standards by imposing the death penalty, subjecting prisoners to cruel and inhuman conditions on death row, and by allowing imposition of the death penalty for ordinary crimes and requiring the death penalty for other crimes. The report also recommends remedies for these violations.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report on the promotion and protection of human rights of ethnic minorities in Ethiopia to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Council’s Nineteenth Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), on May 6, 2014. The report documents the Government of Ethiopia’s failure to meet its international human rights obligations, particularly with respect to the rights to equality, life, liberty, security, privacy, and freedom of expression and association. Ethnic groups such as the Oromo and the Annuak, among others, suffer the greatest consequences of policies that fail to protect, and even infringe upon, these basic human rights.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Reprieve, submitted a report on the United States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) with regard to the death penalty to the UN Human Rights Committee for the Committee’s 109th session  in October 2013. The report describes several death penalty practices that violate the ICCPR. These abuses include wrongful conviction, racial bias, cruel and unusual methods of execution, lack of consular notification, and the application of the death penalty to non-triggermen. The Committee’s review of the United States takes place October 17-18, 2013.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee on the United States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with regard to the rights of asylum-seekers, refugees, and other non-citizens for the Committee’s 109th session (October 13-31, 2013). The report examines deficiencies in the U.S. immigration and asylum system, such as mandatory detention, inadequate detention facilities, streamlined immigration procedures, and unwarranted detention for asylum seekers. The report demonstrates that these practices violate the rights of non-citizens. Further, the detention facilities lack basic physical, mental, and legal services necessary to ensure humane conditions, in violation of international standards. These conditions can re-traumatize bona fide refugees and asylum-seekers escaping threats to their safety and security.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Ecumenical Service for Peace, submitted a report on the rights of women in the Republic of Cameroon to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for its 54^th Ordinary Session in October of 2013. This report addresses four forms of violence—rape, domestic violence, breast ironing and, female genital mutilation (FGM)—as well as the issue of women’s access to employment. The report demonstrates that Cameroon does not do enough to protect and promote the rights of women. A delegation from the Government of Cameroon will appear before the African Commission in October to respond to questions and discuss human rights conditions in Cameroon. Shortly after the session, the African Commission will issue its concluding observations and recommendations to the Government of Cameroon.

The Advocates for Human Rights, with Droits et Paix, submitted a report on the death penalty and detention conditions in Cameroon to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for its 54^th Ordinary Session in October of 2013. This report shows that despite a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, Cameroon continues to sentence people to death and retains the possibility of carrying out these sentences. The report also describes serious human rights violations in the country’s detention facilities. A delegation from the Government of Cameroon will appear before the African Commission in October to respond to questions and discuss human rights conditions in Cameroon. Shortly after the session, the African Commission will issue its concluding observations and recommendations to the Government of Cameroon.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with CAMFAIDS (the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS), REDHAC (Le Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale), and ADEFHO (L’Association pour la Défense des Droits des Homosexuels) submitted a report on the violation of rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the Republic of Cameroon to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for its 54^th Ordinary Session in October of 2013. This report describes the widespread persecution of and discrimination against people on the basis of perceived and actual sexual orientation and gender identity. A delegation from the Government of Cameroon will appear before the African Commission in October to respond to questions and discuss human rights conditions in Cameroon. Shortly after the session, the African Commission will issue its concluding observations and recommendations to the Government of Cameroon.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted three reports concerning human rights issues in the United States—violence against women, immigration and asylum, and the death penalty—to the UN Human Rights Committee for consideration as the Committee adopts a List of Issues for its upcoming review of the United States. The first report addresses the high levels of domestic violence in the United States and identifies ways in which the justice system could enact more efficacious policies to address the issue. In the second report, The Advocates identifies the numerous human rights violations arising out of death penalty practices in the United States, including racial disparities and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The third report examines the deficiencies in the U.S. immigration and asylum system, including streamlined immigration procedures, inadequate detention centers, and the unwarranted detention of asylum seekers.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Droits et Paix and La Ligue Camerounaise des Droits Humains, submitted a report on Cameroon’s human rights obligations regarding the death penalty to the UN Human Rights Council for its May 2013 Universal Periodic Review of Cameroon. Despite a de facto moratorium on capital punishment, Cameroon retains the option to carry out executions. The potential resumption of the death penalty poses a serious threat to the human rights of the accused and to prisoners on death row, a threat exacerbated by Cameroon’s underfunded and disorganized criminal justice system. This submission describes how Cameroon’s death penalty violates international human rights standards and identifies ways to address those violations.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report focusing on gender-based violence in the Russian Federation to the UN Human Rights Council for its Universal Periodic Review of Russia. In the town of Kushchyovskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, an organized criminal gang called the “Tsapki” orchestrates rapes with impunity, and authorities’ complicity with the gang’s activities forces women to live in fear. The Advocates recommends several measures to protect women from gender-based violence and to hold perpetrators accountable.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report on gender-based violence in the Russian Federation to the Committee Against Torture. Focusing on longstanding conditions in the town of Kushchyovskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, the report notes that perpetrators of rape and sexual assault operate with impunity, and demonstrates that the Russian Government’s failure to respond to these crimes violates several articles of the Convention Against Torture. The Advocates recommends several measures to protect women from gender-based violence, to punish assailants, and to develop policies and procedures by which Russia can comply with its obligations under the Convention.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council for its October 2012 Universal Periodic Review of Japan’s compliance with the recommendations from Japan’s first appearance before the Council in 2008. The joint stakeholder report addresses Japan’s human rights obligations regarding the death penalty and treatment of prisoners on death row. Japan not only rebuffed recommendations from many countries to abolish the death penalty, but also has failed to implement other measures to protect the human rights of those facing possible execution.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a stakeholder report for consideration during the United Nations Human Rights Council's 14th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, when the Council will conduct its second Universal Periodic Review of Ghana. During the first review in 2008, Ghana rejected a recommendation to continue promoting human rights standards and fighting discrimination among vulnerable groups, including immigrants. The Advocates' report focuses on human rights developments concerning the 11,301 Liberians currently registered in the Buduburam refugee settlement in Ghana, all of whom will lose their status as refugees on July 1, 2012.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with Autonomous Women’s House Zagreb, submitted a list of issues report focusing on domestic violence in Croatia to the UN Human Rights Committee. Croatia reported over 15,000 cases of domestic violence in 2010. The Government of Croatia has taken some steps to curb domestic violence, but certain aspects of the legislation, enforcement, and support structures still remain ineffective or problematic in their implementation. The Advocates identified questions the Committee should pose during its review of Croatia’s compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to emphasize the ways in which Croatia should better protect the rights of victims of domestic violence and hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable.

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, submitted a joint stakeholders report to the United Nations Human Rights Council for consideration during the second Universal Periodic Review of India in 2012. This submission addresses India’s failure to comply with its international human rights obligations to protect members of minority groups. In particular, the submission calls attention to serious problems with the treatment of Muslims in India.

In collaboration with The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a joint stakeholder report to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations for consideration during the second Universal Periodic Review of Morocco, scheduled for May 2012. The report focuses on the death penalty and living conditions of death row inmates in Morocco.

In collaboration with Global Rights, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a joint stakeholder report to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations for consideration during the Council's second Universal Periodic Review of Morocco, which is scheduled for May 2012. The report focuses on Morocco’s compliance with its treaty obligations as they relate to violence against women. The report found that domestic violence is a widespread problem in Morocco that requires immediate attention. The Government of Morocco has not fulfilled its treaty obligations to prevent domestic violence, protect victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a list of issues report focusing on the high level of domestic violence in Turkey to the UN Human Rights Committee. Factors contributing to this disturbing trend include confusing and exclusionary laws, delayed and short-lived protection orders, and scarce and excessively selective shelters for victims. The Advocates identified questions intended to guide the Committee’s review of Turkey to highlight these issues.

On March 15, 2012, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the 48^th session of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights outlining discrimination in Ethiopia on the basis of ethnicity in violation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The report is based on interviews with members of the Ethiopian diaspora and professionals working with Ethiopians in the United States, as well as reviews of news and human rights reports. The Advocates’ submission highlights the ongoing violations of the human rights of members of the Oromo, Anuak, and other minority ethnic groups in Ethiopia, including forced displacement and persistent discrimination in areas such as work, education, health care access, and access to food and water.

In February 2012, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted suggested issues and questions on Turkey’s domestic violence laws to the County Report Task Force on Turkey of the UN Human Rights Committee, in anticipation of the Committee’s review of Turkey’s compliance with the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights later this year. The Advocates, in partnership with the American Bar Association’s office in Istanbul and with the Law School of Bahçeşehir University, developed and taught a curriculum for lawyers in Turkey on the effective and sensitive representation of domestic violence clients. In preparation for the curriculum, The Advocates interviewed lawyers, judges, shelter advocates, psychologists, and others who serve domestic violence clients in Turkey. The Advocates used the expertise it gained from this experience to develop its recommendations for the Committee’s Turkey Task Force. The submission focuses on Turkey’s order for protection law and on victim-oriented remedies for gender-based violence that arises out of current or former intimate relationships between the abuser and the victim.

At the request of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, The Advocates for Human Rights, together with the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, has compiled a submission outlining the situation relating to the detention of migrants in the United States, key systemic failures to protect their human rights, and priority recommendations.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee for its review of Bulgaria's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This submission addresses Bulgaria’s compliance with its human rights obligations in the context of domestic violence. The UN Human Rights Committee, a body of independent experts charged with monitoring compliance with the treaty, conducted the review of Bulgaria on July 13 and 14, 2011. 

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee for its review of Ethiopia's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Advocates’ submission highlights the ongoing violations of the human rights of members of the Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia, including arbitrary arrest, detention, torture.  Violations of the rights of minorities in Ethiopia also include persistent discrimination, as well as violations of the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.  The UN Human Rights Committee, a body of independent experts charged with monitoring compliance with the treaty, conducted the review of Ethiopia on July 11 and 12, 2011. 

In collaboration with The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, The Advocates for Human Rights has submitted a shadow report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding Jamaica’s compliance with its international legal obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the “ICCPR”). Specifically, the shadow report shows how the living conditions on Jamaica’s death row violate Article 7 of the ICCPR, which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment. Such conditions include overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate medical treatment. The Advocates’ report is particularly important in light of Jamaica’s 2011 Constitutional amendment curtailing death row inmates’ rights to review of their conditions by external bodies, such as UN treaty bodies.

In collaboration with Global Rights, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a shadow report to the Committee Against Torture at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding Morocco’s compliance with the 1987 Convention Against Torture. The shadow report focuses on violence against women. The report found that domestic violence is a widespread problem in Morocco that requires immediate attention. The Government of Morocco has not fulfilled its obligations under the Convention Against Torture to prevent domestic violence, protect victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.

In collaboration with The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a shadow report to the Committee Against Torture at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding Morocco’s compliance with the 1987 Convention Against Torture. The shadow report focuses on the death penalty and living conditions of death row inmates.

In collaboration with The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a shadow report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding Iran’s compliance with its international legal obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the “ICCPR”). Specifically, the shadow report shows how methods of execution, death row prison conditions, and a state failure to notify families of impending executions of persons sentenced to death violates Article 7 of the ICCPR.

The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation and The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council on Bulgaria's progress toward protecting the human rights of women in that country. The Advocates and BGRF have worked in partnership since 1994, publishing human rights reports on domestic violence in Bulgaria in 1996 and 2008, training court monitors in 2004, consulting on drafting and passing the 2005 domestic violence law, and training police and judges on effective implementation of the new law. 

Since 2004, The Advocates for Human Rights has documented reports from members of the Oromo ethnic group living in diaspora in the United States of human rights abuses they and their friends and family experienced in Ethiopia. The Advocates conducted over 65 interviews of Ethiopians, including Oromo and other ethnic group members; scholars; immigration attorneys; medical professionals; and other service providers working with Ethiopians in the United States. In addition, The Advocates monitored news and human rights reporting on events in Ethiopia.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted to the African Commission on Human and P eoples' Rights related to the Secretariat's September 2008 Promotion Mission to Ghana. The Advocates specifically addressed the situation of Liberian refugees living in Ghana.

Country condition information from The Advocates’ Liberia is Not Ready: 2009 and A House with Two Rooms:  Final Report of the Liberia TRC Diaspora Project was submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  Information and recommendations related to the treatment of women in Liberia was provided to expert members of the treaty body to assist them in reviewing Liberia’s compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women during the 44th session meeting in New York from July 20-August 7, 2009. 

From 1979 until 2003, the Liberian people survived a bloody coup d’etat, years of military rule, and two violent civil wars. Out of a pre–war population of 3,000,000, an estimated 250,000 people were killed and as many as 1,500,000 people were displaced. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (“LTRC”) was established by legislative act in 2005 to “promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation” and to make it possible to hold perpetrators accountable for the gross human rights violations and violations of international law that occurred in Liberia between January 1979 and October 2003. The LTRC was the first TRC to involve a diaspora population in the truth seeking process. At the request of the LTRC, The Advocates coordinated the work of the TRC in the diaspora.

Immigrants and migrants in the United States are frequently denied their right to be free from discrimination their daily living and are often discriminatorily denied their fundamental civil and political rights, as well as their economic, social and cultural rights. The United States, through both its direct and indirect action, has failed in its obligations under the Convention to guarantee the rights of immigrants to be free from discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin and ancestry, and to recognize and address the multiplicities of discrimination immigrants face and the intersection of gender, race, national origin and citizenship discrimination.

The Advocates for Human Rights, together with Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, the National Employment Law Project; Sarah Paoletti, Practitioner-in-Residence, Washington College of Law; American University Equal Justice Center; Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute; and the Center for Constitutional Rights, submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee on the United States' compliance with the rights of aliens under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Advocates for Human Rights, Detention Watch Network, and Amnesty International USA filed a joint response to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' Questionnaire on Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas.

In coordination with the US Human Rights Network, The Advocates for Human Rights drafted the cluster report on US compliance with the human rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The report, endorsed by nearly 100 national and local nongovernmental organizations and individuals, outlines key failings of the immigration legal system to protect the human rights of non-citizens in the United States.

The Advocates for Human Rights submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council outlining the US's compliance with obligations under international human rights law. The report highlights US failures to protect human rights in the context of the death penalty, the rights of women, and the rights of non-citizens.