Online resources for International Human Rights Law

Outline Research guides and reference works Treaties UN Materials and OHCHR International courts and tribunals Regional materials – Europe – The Americas – Africa Journal articles and commentary Other useful resources URLs for collections of – Country Reports – Subject materials

Research guides & reference works

Research guides 1.htm 1.htm UN Documentation: Research Guide on Human de/spechr.htm de/spechr.htm The George Washington Law es/D07D93EB-A26A-4B40-A2E1- 9DDEE95728AE/0/HumRights07.pdf es/D07D93EB-A26A-4B40-A2E1- 9DDEE95728AE/0/HumRights07.pdf

Max Planck Encyclopaedia of Public International Law Connect via Oxlip+Oxlip+ Entries on many human rights topics Includes select bibliography/document lists

Browse options Search options

Max Planck Encyclopaedia of Public International Law

Terms in italics (with arrow) refer to other entries in the encyclopaedia Citator – to see other entries in the encyclopaedia referred to in this entry Contents Select bibliography and key documents

UN Resources for Human Rights

Research guides: UN ASIL Duke Law School UN UN Documentation Research – Guides for subjects (e.g. Human Rights, International Law…), major UN organs (e.g. General Assembly, Security council etc), document types etc – General guide explaining document numbers Depts/dhl/resguide/ Depts/dhl/resguide/ UN topical research guides (compiled by arch1.htm#topical arch1.htm#topical

United Nations: Useful URLs UN web Official Web – Index to UN web sites UN High Commissioner for Human – Treaties, subject index, special measures, charter and treaty bodies

UN Documents Official Document System of the – documents 1993-, resolutions – Index to UN documents and sales publications Treaty Bodies Database – UN human rights treaty bodiex These databases are covered in the UN class

Includes work of 6 th committee (legal arm of the GA), International law commission (includes analytical guide), ICJ, ICTR etc UN documentation centre : Browse documents from the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council & Secretariat by session, year and/or document type Research guide UN Pulse – daily update of new UN documents Human Rights HR Treaties, ratifications, reservations etc A-Z of issues Special country mandates Information about the HR treaty and charter bodies (and their documents via Treaty bodies database) Links to web sites of UN bodies Subject list. For each subject links to main UN bodies involved, events, key documents. Following links to main bodies can be particularly useful.

Searches UN web site and linked sites (e.g. web sites of UN bodies). Can retrieve documents that are not available on UNBisNet or UNODS. Google search

Charter Based Bodies Human Rights Council – Special procedures (discuss and report on human rights situations relating to particular countries or themes) Commission on Human Rights – No longer exists – predecessor of the Human Rights Council Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights – Carries out studies on human rights issues and make recommendations

Treaty Based Bodies Committee against Torture (CAT) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Human Rights Committee (CCPR) Documents produced by the Treaty Based Bodies are available on the Treaty Bodies Database as well as UN ODS, Unbisnet

A-Z of issues with links to relevant bodies / rapporteurs  Country information for each member including treaty ratification/reservation information, rapporteurships and special procedures relating to the country, news, events, links  “Ratifications and reservations” – treaties with signatories, reservations etc  Country mandates – countries subject to HRC special procedures  Links to the charter and treaty based organisations (introductory general information, publications, rules and procedures, events, relevant rapporteurships, relevant treaties and ratification information, links) plus links to Treaty bodies database Publications including fact sheets/special issues on various topics

International Courts and Tribunals

Research Guides Pict – Project on International Courts and ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International onD onD UN Research Research guides for individual courts see second half of handout

Where to find judgments & decisions: publications International Legal Materials – Key publication including treaties, UN resolutions and declarations, cases – Internat 300 I 240 – Online Westlaw / Lexis / HeinOnline International Human Rights Reports – Internat 300 I162 International Law Reports - Internat 100 I61

Where to find judgments and decisions online Web site of the relevant court (also includes indictments, pleadings etc) – URLS later Oxford Reports on International Law Westlaw Worldlii Interights - Key human rights cases from Commonwealth (domestic and international courts and tribunals) Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (esp UN committees) University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (esp Inter American Court of Human Rights)

Where to find other stuff… Basic Court documents – PICT – Web site of the relevant court Annual reports etc – Web site of the relevant court or its parent body – University of Minnesota Human Rights library

Oxford Reports on International Law Includes decision, headnote, cases and instruments cited plus articles citing Selected cases only (more being added) ICJ and PCIJ ICC ICTY and ICTR Nuremberg International Military Tribunal Special Court for Sierra Leone UN committees: CERD, CAT, CCPR ECHR African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights “International Law in Domestic Courts“ (decisions from domestic courts in 60 jurisdictions relating to international law) More courts to be added

Judgments selected by broad subject. See “Find out more” for selection criteria Browse by subject / date Search options. Advanced search also includes keywords thesaurus Most recent cases added

Choose keywords or jurisdictions from thesaurus Search terms can be combined with AND – all terms OR – one term or the other or both NOT – one term but only if the other is not present to truncate e.g. ethnic* finds ethnic, ethnically ? In place of one letter e.g. organi?ation

Jump to further analysis, cases cited etc

Westlaw : International Legal Materials International Court of Justice International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda European Court of Human Rights

Westlaw International courts / International Legal Materials are hard to find. To find them: Westlaw International > Directory > All Westlaw Databases > International/Worldwide > Multinational > Court and Tribunal Cases

For materials from beyond the UK/EU choose Westlaw International

To search cases from selected courts To search International Legal Materials. Includes treaties, UN resolutions and declarations, cases. From Legislation choose “International Legal Materials”

Database selected Combine terms using connectors Rape within the same sentence as ethnic

To see all results To search within results To jump to your keywords Print, save, etc

international courts including: ICJ International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Decisions International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia United Nations Committee against Torture Decisions United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination United Nations Human Rights Committee European Court of Human Rights Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Selected) Interights Commonwealth Human Rights Law Interights International Human Rights Law

International Courts and Tribunals

1. Choose court(s). Either check the boxes next to the court(s) you want to search OR choose a pre selected group of courts (e.g. All Human Rights Courts). 2. Enter search terms. Use the following connectors: AND, OR, NOT NEAR – within 50 words w/n –term 1 within n terms of term 2 Pre/n –term 1 must precede term 2 by n terms *truncation symbol Check when last judgement was added to Worldlii

Sort options To see results from one particular court (or database) only

Interights Key human rights cases from international courts and tribunals and domestic courts in the Commonwealth search/index.htm

Notes for specific courts

International Court of Justice

ICJ: Research Guides & Reference Works UN research guide includes a section on the specil.htm#icj specil.htm#icj International Court of Justice Yearbook Internat 725 c 858 j-k Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the International Court of Justice Internat 121a Bibliography of the International Court of Justice Internat 400 c858

ICJ: Judgments in print (Reports of) Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders – Internat 121 – Annual index Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents – Internat 122 – Documentation relating to each case (e.g. application, written and oral proceedings, documents submitted to the court, selected correspondence etc) – Published after the end of the case in the original language

ICJ online ICJ web – Basic Documents – Cases Full text of judgments (contentious cases) /advisory opinions (advisory proceedings) Related documents (e.g. application, oral and written proceedings, orders, summaries, press releases) – Not good for subject searching Worldlii and Westlaw – Cases – Preferable for subject searching

Background information – history, how the court works, judges etc Text of judgments and advisory opinions and related documents Statute of the Court, rules of procedure etc Information about the courts’ jurisdiction THE ICJ website

ICTY, ICTR, ICC

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia UN research #ity #ity Basic documents, annual Judgments in print The Judicial Reports/ Recueils judiciaires Internat 580 I63c Judgments online ITY web Oxford Reports on International Law Westlaw Worldlii (not entirely up to date)

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda UN Research de/specil.htm#itr de/specil.htm#itr Online ICTR – Basic documents – Indictments, decisions, judgments – Status of pending cases – Annual reports etc Oxford Reports on International Law Westlaw (indictments, decisions, judgments) Worldlii

Other international courts… International Criminal Court – UN research cil.htm#icc cil.htm#icc – – Oxford Reports on International Law Special Court for Sierra – Oxford Reports on International Law Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East

Decisions of UN Treaty Committees

UN Treaty Bodies Decisions Information about the treaty bodies -mc/docs/hri_mc_2007_4.doc -mc/docs/hri_mc_2007_4.doc Treaty bodies Oxford Reports on International Law Worldlii Netherlands Institute of Human Rights / / – Indexed by subject, keyword, state, name etc – Once connected choose Databases > Case Law

Click on the > next to the relevant body The Treaty Bodies Database

Cases before UN committees Cases before ECHR Cases before tribunals for Yugoslavia / Rwanda Comments by treaty bodies in response to country reports

Browse by treaty article, subject, keyword, country etc

Regional: Europe

Council of Europe Council of Europe Treaties Directorate General of Human documents and news organised by subject Commissioner for Human European Court of Human Rights – Judgments and decisions on Westlaw, Justis, HUDOC, Worldlii

Legal… includes link to the Treaties Office – COE treaties, ratification information, subject index etc Directorate General including publications Drafting legal instruments – information by subject on drafting of instruments, law reform, news, projects, committees etc Cooperation – information on projects with particular states Monitoring – information on monitoring agreed standards

European Court of Human Rights: Reports of Judgments Official Reports – Before 1 Nov 1998 known as Series A and numbered consecutively. Citation looks like: Plattform ‘Ärtze für das Leben’ v Austria (App no 10126/82) (1988) Series A no 139 – After 1 Nov Renamed Reports of Judgments and Decisions. Citation looks like: Osman v UK (App no 23452/94) ECHR 1998-VIII 3124 – Available online on Justis / in print at Internat 121 European Human Rights Reports (EHRR) – Reputable publication as an alternative to the official reports – Citation looks like: Young, James and Webster v UK (App no 7601/76) (1982) 4 EHRR 38 – Available online on Westlaw or in print at Internat 150

ECHR: Transcripts Court Transcripts are available on – Court web site – Worldlii – Netherlands Institute of Human Rights

Choose “Advanced Search” for more options Westlaw “UK Cases” includes European Court of Human Rights Reports (all ECHR judgments and selected commission decisions)

Searches full text of all judgments (use for subject searching) Searches party names Searches for cases by legislation considered. E.g. European Convention on Human Rights article 3.

Full text of the case Related information including: List of reports of the case Summary of the issues Legislation considered in the judgment Earlier cases considered in the judgment Later cases which have considered this judgment Commentary on the judgment

e.g. searching for ECHR cases on the death penalty

ECHR web site Basic Documents and texts of the court Database of transcripts of judgments and commission decisions To go direct to the transcripts database

Transcripts database European Convention on Human Rights and additional protocols History, organization, composition, procedures etc

To search decisions of the European Commission (ceased 1999) open up decisions box. Note not all commission decisions are available. Use … to browse a thesaurus of terms Make sure the “from” field is not filled in when you open up the database HUDOC - Transcripts Some judgments are only available on one language

Full text Analytical information including dates, party names, who the case was referred by, Strasbourg case law cited, keywords, durable URL Keywords in context – finds your keywords and displays surrounding text Links to related information

Inter American Human Rights

Organisation of American States OAS - Charter of the

Treaties, resolutions, declarations etc

Inter American Commission on Human Rights Inter American Commission on Human – Reports adopted by the st/index.html st/index.html Finding cases before the Commission – Cases section of the Commission web site – University of Minnesota index to Commission n.htm n.htm

Cases Background information including relationship of Commission and Court Reports from special rapporteurs, country reports, cases, work with the court Treaties, ratification and reservation information Responses to recommendations by states Precautionary measures

Duplicates material on Commission web site?

Inter American Court of Human Rights Reports – Series A – Judgments and opinions (Advisory cases) – Series B – Pleadings, Oral Arguments and Documents (relating to series A) – Series C – Decisions and judgments (Contentious cases) – Series D - Pleadings, Oral Arguments and Documents (relating to series C) – Series E - Provisional measures Finding Cases online – Court web (+ related documents) Spanish versions appear firsthttp:// – University of – Worldlii (most recent judgment available 2006)

Statute of the court, rules of procedure, composition, history etc Browse judgments chronologically or by country Decisions and judgments =series c (contentious) Advisory = series A Text in word / pdf Annual reports – includes cases Search for judgment by keywords or by country/date range

Africa: some key web sites African Union – African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights – African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights – Africa Human Rights Resource Centre (University of Minnesota Human Rights Library) – is this still

Treaties and ratification details, speeches etc

Most recent country reports, and activities reports Treaties list of state reports but no full text Subjects

Treaties, conventions etc A-Z of Human Rights links (NGOs, governments, charities etc) Constitutive Act of the AU + documents / information re OAU/AU African summit 2002 Country reports and decisions from the UN Human Rights Committee Compilations of treaties, books and articles on human rights in Africa. Nothing later than Report on NGOs in Africa published Journal article by J. Oloka-Onyango (1995)

Other useful web sites – Treaties, conventions etc with related web sites and research guides University of Minnesota Human Rights

Journals & Commentary Receuil des cours – Hague Academy Collected Courses on international human rights – In print Internat 300 A20 – Online via Oxlip+ Use usual journals indexes – Westlaw – Index to Legal Periodicals – Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals – Social Science Citation Index – Cambridge Scientific Abstracts : Social Sciences – PAIS – Public Affairs Information Institute Links to free journals with Human Rights focus –

Click

Ignore buy this book and use contents on the left to access full text

Country Reports Collection of links to Country Reports in the ASIL research Amnesty – – Reports organised by country, region, theme Human Rights Watch – – Reports organised by country and subject International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights – Europe (esp E Europe) – For Reports follow the link to “Documents and publications” – US Dept of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Choose Country Reports from the navigation bar – Annual reports submitted to US congress –

Subject Approach Amnesty Human Rights Watch University of Minnesota Topics Guide ides.html ides.html – Introduction to main issues – Links to relevant web resources University of Minnesota Human Rights Library – Links to document repositories, organisations, country and subjects

Subject Approach Derechos – Particularly good for Latin America Human Rights Internet Hurisearch - – search engine searching multiple human rights web sites Worldlii Human Rights Catalog – Links to document repositories, organisations, country and subjects