Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
The Centre is an independent academic institution monitoring human rights developments both domestically and worldwide, issuing a monthly Bulletin, as well as organizing conferences.
The November Bulletin opens with an exceptional contribution - following the interviews with the Presidents of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the so-called Kosovo Chambers, we bring an interview with another President of a judicial institution based in The Hague. Judge Theodor Meron is a real guru of international criminal justice who presided for many years over the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Currently he presides over the tribunal that replaced it.
Additionally, the Czech representatives in the Venice Commission, Kateřina Šimáčková and Veronika Bílková, discuss the outcomes of the October session of the commission. It mainly concerned a reform of judiciary in Romania but also counter-terrorist measures in Moldova.
Taking effect on August 1, 2018, Denmark has joined a list of countries that has enacted bans on wearing face coverings in public, joining other countries that have certain limitations on face veils in public such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and Austria.
What is the “Burqa Ban?”
Briefly, the most common body coverings worn by Islamic women are the hijab, the niqab and the burqa. The hijab is most common as it simply refers to covering up in general, and many times refers to headscarves worn by women. The niqab, which is a more concealing traditional Islamic wear describes a face veil, which leaves the area surrounding the eyes clear. Finally, a burqa is an Islamic veil covering the entire face and body. The burqa is quite rare in Western societies and is practiced the least.
Chechnya is an autonomous republic of Russia, located in the North Caucasus, near the Caspian Sea, in southern Russia. With a reported (though disputed) population of around 1.3 million people, the Chechen Republic is also, arguably, one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a homosexual.
The Crisis
The crisis was first made aware to the public on April 1, 2017 in the newspaper, “Novaya Gazeta.” The paper reported that numerous men between the ages of 16 and 50 had simply disappeared. The paper continues to specify the men were arrested for their practice of, or suspicion of, “non-traditional sexual orientation”.
The October Bulletin opens with an exclusive interview with the President of the relatively new court in The Hague. Judge Ekaterina Trendafilová presides over the so-called Kosovo tribunal (Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office). What crimes will this institution, located in the world’s judicial capital, focus on?
Additionally, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is being discussed, which was awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad as an appreciation for their long-term activities against the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Furthermore, there are a number of articles regarding current human rights developments. These articles are divided into the following four categories: International Criminal Justice; European System of Human Rights Protection; International Politics, Business and Human Rights; and the Czech Republic and Human Rights.
In recent months North Korea and the United States have launched a process to reconcile some of the differences existing between their political cultures. More specifically, the overarching goal of the US in the summit is the nuclear disarmament of North Korea.
North Korea – United States Summit
The attempt to disarm is a step in the right direction when dealing with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but it is of vital important to consider his optics; what does North Korea Want?
In October, The Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) based in Venice published the final thesis of the head of the Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Jan Lhotský. EIUC annually publishes five of the best theses online from its E.MA human rights programme. In the text, Jan Lhotský analyses the functioning of the UN human rights treaty bodies that are based in Geneva and proposes a concrete reform for 2020 when the UN General Assembly is expected to decide on the necessary changes.
The September Bulletin opens with three contributions discussing the institutional set-up of human rights protection in the Czech Republic. Lucie Nechvátalová focuses on the question of whether it is sufficient to have the human rights agenda under the Ministry of Justice or if it is more suitable to have a separate person responsible for it. Two interviews follow, the first with the former minister of human rights, Džamila Stehlíková, and the second with the former government’s plenipotentiary for human rights, Monika Šimůnková. What are their experiences?
Furthermore, there are a number of articles regarding current human rights developments. These articles are divided into the following four categories: International Criminal Justice; European System of Human Rights Protection; International Politics, Business and Human Rights; and the Czech Republic and Human Rights.