News releases

On 18 January 2013, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and The REDRESS Trust (REDRESS) submitted an amicus curiae brief to the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Mujkanović et al. v. Bosnia Herzegovina lodged by TRIAL. The case concerns 11 applications submitted by TRIAL to the Court between September 2008 and December 2010 regarding the disap...

TRIAL (Swiss Association against Impunity) welcomes the arrest of Nepalese Colonel Kumar Lama in the United Kingdom on suspicion of torture. Following the condemnation of the arrest by senior figures in the Nepalese government, the organisation calls on Nepal to show solidarity with victims of the conflict and fully cooperate with the UK investigation of Col. Lama....

The first cases ever brought against Burundi to the UN Committee against Torture were recently submitted by TRIAL. Already seven victims of torture and arbitrary detention have, with the support of TRIAL, handed their case to the UN to seek justice. In Burundi, TRIAL also works to strengthen the civil society capacities by organising training courses for lawyers and N...

TRIAL participated in two experts’ seminars on sexual violence in armed conflict in Priština and Gjakova on 5 and 6 December 2012 organized by the UN Women Project Office in Kosovo.   The purpose of the seminars was to take stock of the situation of sexual violence in Kosovo and to share experience from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with the aim of inspiring...

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), “Amnesty International” and “TRIAL - Track Impunity Always”, published a set of joint recommendations calling on the Government of Iraq to take decisive steps to tackle and end the practice of enforced disappearance in Iraq. The recommendations are the direct outcome of a conference, 'No Impunity for Enforced...

One of the main human rights bodies of the United Nations has just ruled that the transitional justice mechanisms envisaged by the Government of Nepal do not meet international human rights standards, as they do not offer sufficient guarantees to victims of the civil war to realise their rights to justice and truth.     On 12 October 2012 the United...

Tunis, 26 November 2012 ACAT-France and TRIAL have just organized a training in Tunis for 25 Tunisian lawyers, lasting from 22 to 24 November. The training was aimed at supporting local lawyers handling torture cases, by helping them to resort more efficiently to international law and mechanisms. Both organisations are committed to continue working with Tunisian...

A conference was held in Wilton Park, Sussex from 12 to 14 November 2012 under the organization of the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign and Commonwealth Office in order to lay the groundwork, shape and develop the activities of the newly established UK initiative to fight against rape and sexual violence in conflict. The conference hosted around 60 participants coming f...

Between 28 October and 5 November 2012 Ms. Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, conducted for the first time in the history of the mandate an official country mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).   The visit was prompted by a general allegation submitted in May 2011 by TRIAL (Swiss Association...

The Human Rights Committee (HRC) adopted its concluding observations on the second periodic report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Despite some progresses, numerous remain the measures to be undertaken, in particular with regard to relatives of missing persons, former camp-detainees and...

On 31 October and 1 November 2012, the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) examined and discussed the report submitted by Mexico with a delegation of the Mexican government. TRIAL participated in a private meeting with the CAT prior to its open session with the Mexican delegation in order to raise issues related to the violations by Mexico of its internatio...