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 March issue of the Bulletin opens with Helena Kopecká and an exclusive interview with the international prosecutor of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Nicolas Koumjian. What are the main challenges of the court regarding justice for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia?
In March it has already been seven years since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. However, there has been no justice for the perpetrators of the crimes committed. Jan Lhotský focuses on the current options of national prosecutions, as well as the desired future role of the international criminal judiciary.
We open the two-month issue of the Bulletin with an external contribution of Kristýna Horňáčková, who as part of the Czech delegation took part in the international conference in New York. This conference approved the extension of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for the crime of aggression.
There is also an article by Kateřina Šimáčková regarding the December session of the Venice Commission, which focused mainly on Poland. The author explains, among other things, two critical opinions of the Polish act on the public prosecutor’s office and on the reform of Polish judiciary.
As we invited new interns to write on the Bulletin and two new heads of sections of the Centre, we are bringing the December issue of the Bulletin of the Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democracy to the readers in a little bit altered composition of our team. We hope you will be happy with the result in terms of the articles.
We are opening the issue with a contribution of our new head of Czech section, Lucie Nachvátalová, who shared her experiences with The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA) in the beautiful Venice. Would you like to get inspired?
A contribution by Šárka Dušková follows. The article focuses on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the human rights obligations of the Czech Republic. The UPR took place in November in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
In September Jan Lhotský finished one-year studies specialized in human rights (E.MA) that took place in Venice, Italy and Graz, Austria. His final thesis was awarded among five best works that will be published. The paper discusses the need for reforming the UN human rights treaty bodies, like e.g. the Human Rights Committee. It further proposes a concrete shape of the reform for 2020 when the UN General Assembly will decide on the system’s improvements (more about the event here). Furthermore, in October Jan Lhotský started a six months work as a Visiting Professional at the chambers of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democratization invites you to a discussion seminar on the subject Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Current Prospects and Protection Challenges.
Speakers:
Bríd Ní Ghráinne, Lecturer and Researcher, School of Law, Sheffield University
Kristýna Andrlová, Lawyer, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Czech Republic
Šárka Dušková, Lawyer, Organisation for Aid to Refugees (OPU)
Who are „Internally Displaced Persons“ (IDPs)?
How do they differ from refugees?
Where do most people who have been forced to leave home but have remained in their own country come from?
What are the reasons people become IDPs?
What are the issues IDPs are facing?
The Czech Republic remains as one of the leading countries in the international weapons trade, particularly the distribution of small arms worldwide. Problematically, this includes exports to countries with highly contentious human rights records. Is this compatible with the Czech foreign policy based on the support of human rights? Are we legitimizing oppressive regimes? And can we strike a balance between protecting human rights and restricting arms trade, when often, arms are also used for defense?
At the end of February 2017, a member of The Czech Center for Human Rights and Democratization, Helena Kopecká, commenced her UN internship at The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, at the Department of the Co-Prosecutors. She namely works under the established American prosecutor, Nicholas Koumjian. Helena takes part in the creation of research drafts regarding crimes against humanity. Currently she is specializing in matters concerning forced labour.