International Human Rights in a Nutshell

by Buergenthal, Thomas; Shelton, Dinah; Stewart, David P.

• ISBN13: 9780314260147
• ISBN10: 0314260145
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-06-01
• Publisher: West Academic

Summary

Historical Antecedents of International Human Rights Law; United Nations Human Rights System; European System for the Protection of Human Rights; Inter-American Human Rights System; African System of Human and Peoples' Rights; Humanitarian Law; U.S. and International Human Rights; and Non-Governmental Human Rights Organization.

Table of Contents

Foreword	iii
Preface	v
Acknowledgments	ix
Research References	xxiii
Table of Cases	xxvii
Historical Antecedents of International Human Rights Law
Introduction	1	(1)
Pre-World War II Law	1	(26)
Introduction	1	(1)
Human Rights and Traditional International Law	2	(1)
Humanitarian Intervention	3	(3)
Early Human Rights Treaties	6	(1)
The League of Nations	7	(1)
The Mandates System	8	(1)
International Labor Standards	9	(1)
The Minorities System	10	(4)
State Responsibility for Injury to Aliens	14	(4)
Responsibility of Individuals and Other Private Entities	18	(2)
Humanitarian Law	20	(2)
The Past and Modern International Human Rights Law	22	(5)
The United Nations Human Rights System
Introduction	27	(1)
The UN Charter	27	(7)
Introduction	27	(1)
The San Francisco Conference and Human Rights	28	(1)
Human Rights in the UN Charter	29	(5)
The International Bill of Human Rights	34	(29)
Introduction	34	(1)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights	35	(1)
The Rights and Freedoms	36	(3)
Legal Effect and Political Importance	39	(4)
The International Covenants on Human Rights: Introduction	43	(2)
The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	45	(4)
The Human Rights Committee	49	(3)
The Reporting Procedure	52	(3)
General Comments	55	(1)
Inter-State Communications	56	(3)
The First Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	59	(4)
The International Bill of Human Rights Continued
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	63	(1)
The Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	64	(1)
Nature of the Obligations	65	(4)
Overseeing Implementation	69	(2)
Other Major UN Human Rights Treaties	71	(25)
Introduction	71	(1)
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide	71	(3)
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination	74	(6)
International Convention on the Suppression and the Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid	80	(2)
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women	82	(6)
Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment	88	(4)
Convention on the Rights of the Child	92	(4)
UN Chapter Based Institutions	96	(30)
Introduction	96	(1)
Commission on Human Rights	96	(5)
Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights	101	(4)
Commission on the Status of Women	105	(1)
Other UN Bodies Concerned with Human Rights	106	(4)
Procedures for Dealing With Gross Violations of Human Rights	110	(2)
Resolution 1235	112	(1)
Resolution 1503	113	(3)
Admissibility	116	(3)
High Commissioner for Human Rights	119	(3)
Field Offices	122	(1)
Gross Violations of Human Rights and the UN Charter	123	(2)
UN Human Rights Conferences	125	(1)
Specialized Agencies	126	(7)
Introduction	126	(1)
The International Labor Organization	127	(3)
UNESCO and Other Specialized Agencies	130	(3)
The European System for the Protection of Human Rights
Introduction	133	(3)
The European Convention on Human Rights: An Overview	136	(8)
Introduction	136	(1)
Rights Guaranteed	137	(2)
The Universal Declaration and the Convention	139	(1)
Convention Institutions	140	(4)
The Enforcement Mechanism of the Convention	144	(37)
Introduction	144	(2)
Jurisdiction of the European Court	146	(1)
Inter-State Complaints	147	(2)
Private Petitions	149	(5)
Admissibility: Incompatible, Ill Founded, or Abuse of the Right of Petition	154	(2)
Exhaustion of Domestic Remedies and the Six-Months Rule	156	(7)
The Individual's Participation in the Proceedings	163	(3)
Judgments of the Court	166	(2)
Enforcement of Judgments by the Committee of Ministers	168	(4)
Interpretation of the Rights Guaranteed	172	(9)
The European Social Charter	181	(10)
Introduction	181	(1)
The Catalog of Rights	182	(3)
Legal Obligations Assumed by the Contracting Parties	185	(1)
International Measures for Enforcement of Charter Rights	186	(5)
Other Council of Europe Human Rights Treaties	191	(8)
The European Convention against Torture	191	(3)
Protection of National Minorities	194	(3)
Human Rights and Biomedicine	197	(2)
The European Union	199	(6)
Absorbing the European Convention on Human Rights	199	(3)
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union	202	(3)
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)	205	(16)
Introduction	205	(1)
The Helsinki Final Act	206	(3)
The OSCE Process	209	(2)
The Non-binding Character of OSCE Commitments	211	(1)
The OSCE Catalog of Rights	212	(2)
The Human Dimension Mechanism	214	(2)
The High Commissioner on National Minorities	216	(3)
Representative on Freedom of the Media	219	(2)
The Inter-American Human Rights System
Introduction	221	(2)
The OAS Charter-Based System	223	(18)
Introduction	223	(1)
The OAS Charter	224	(2)
The American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man	226	(2)
The Commission as Charter Organ: Its Institutional Evolution	228	(5)
The Commission as Charter Organ: Its Practice	233	(1)
Country Studies and On-Site Investigations	234	(5)
Individual Petitions	239	(2)
The Convention-Based System	241	(41)
Introduction	241	(2)
The Convention and its Guarantees	243	(3)
The Convention Organs	246	(1)
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights	247	(1)
The Commission as Convention Organ	247	(1)
Examination of Petitions	248	(6)
Role Before the Court	254	(2)
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights	256	(1)
Jurisdictions of the Court	256	(1)
Contentious Jurisdiction	256	(4)
The Court's Powers in Contentious Cases	260	(5)
Provisional Measures	265	(2)
Advisory Jurisdiction	267	(3)
Legal Effect of Advisory Opinions	270	(2)
Emerging Case law	272	(10)
The African System of Human and Peoples' Rights
Introduction	282	(1)
The Rights and Duties	283	(9)
Introduction	283	(2)
Individual Rights	285	(4)
Peoples' Rights	289	(1)
Duties	290	(2)
State Obligations and Measures of Implementation	292	(22)
Introduction	292	(1)
State Obligations	293	(2)
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights	295	(4)
Interstate Complaints	299	(1)
Individual Complaints	300	(9)
An African Court on Human Rights	309	(5)
Humanitarian Law
Introduction	314	(1)
The Geneva Conventions and Protocols	315	(32)
Introduction	315	(2)
The Geneva Conventions and International Armed Conflicts	317	(4)
The Geneva Conventions and Internal Armed Conflicts: Common Article 3	321	(3)
Protocol I	324	(4)
Protocol II	328	(3)
Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Treaties: Their Interaction	331	(3)
The International Committee of the Red Cross	334	(3)
The Ad Hoc International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda	337	(7)
The International Criminal Court	344	(3)
The U.S. and International Human Rights
Introduction	347	(3)
The U.S. and Human Rights Treaties	350	(27)
Introduction	350	(2)
Treaties and the U.S. Constitution	352	(1)
The U.S. Senate and Human Rights Treaties	353	(6)
Legal and Policy Considerations Affecting Ratification	359	(6)
The New Policy: Ratification with Reservations, Understandings and Declarations	365	(12)
Human Rights Legislation	377	(13)
Introduction	377	(1)
Military and Economic Aid CutOff: Laws of General Applicability	378	(7)
Country-Specific Legislation	385	(1)
International Financial Institutions	386	(1)
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor	387	(3)
International Human Rights Law in U.S. Courts	390	(12)
Introduction	390	(1)
Human Rights Treaties	391	(3)
Customary International Law	394	(8)
Non Governmental Human Rights Organizations
Introduction	402	(3)
International Activities	405	(8)
Introduction	405	(2)
The NGOs as International Actors	407	(3)
The NGOs and International Judicial and Quasi Judicial Proceedings	410	(3)
National Activities	413	(6)
National Legislation	413	(2)
Influencing Human Rights Foreign Policy	415	(4)
Author Index	419	(10)
Subject Index	429