News releases

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...

On 4 November 1998, exactly fourteen years ago, Mr. Hanafi died following acts of torture he suffered while in the hands of the Algerian authorities. Despite the condemnation of Algeria by the UN Committee against Torture in June 2011, those responsible for committing such acts have still not been punished, and the family has not received any compensation. On 16 Ju...

he United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted a list of issues related to the combined 4th and 5th periodic reports on the implementation by Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The CEDAW remains concerned about the situation of women victims of...

On 25 October 2012 TRIAL intervened before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in order to contribute to shedding light on several aspects of the right to liberty and security of persons embodied in Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The meeting, gathering representatives of several civil society organizations and States, took...