Human Rights Law

1. Human Rights Violations
   1. Genocide
      1. Definition and Legal Criteria
         1. Acts of killing members of the group
         2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
         3. Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group
         4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
         5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
      2. Historical Examples
         1. Holocaust
         2. Rwandan Genocide
         3. Armenian Genocide
      3. International Legal Frameworks
         1. Genocide Convention
         2. Role of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
      4. Challenges in Prevention and Prosecution
         1. Political will and influence
         2. Evidence gathering and documentation
         3. Witness protection and safety
   2. War Crimes
      1. Definition and Distinction from Other Violations
         1. Violations of the laws and customs of war
         2. Difference between war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide
      2. Types of War Crimes
         1. Willful killing of civilians
         2. Torture and inhumane treatment
         3. Destruction of property not justified by military necessity
         4. Use of child soldiers
      3. Notable Cases and Tribunals
         1. Nuremberg Trials
         2. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
         3. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
      4. Legal Challenges and Limitations
         1. Difficulty in gathering sufficient evidence
         2. Jurisdictional issues
         3. Political obstacles and immunity defenses
   3. Crimes Against Humanity
      1. Characteristics and Legal Definition
         1. Widespread or systematic attacks against civilians
         2. Includes acts like murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation
         3. Persecution on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious grounds
      2. Examples and Notorious Incidents
         1. Apartheid in South Africa
         2. Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia
         3. Human rights abuses in North Korea
      3. Prosecution and Accountability
         1. Role of the ICC
         2. Hybrid courts and national jurisdictions
         3. Role of universal jurisdiction
   4. Torture
      1. Definition and Methods
         1. Physical and psychological methods
         2. Tools and techniques historically used
      2. Legal Prohibitions and International Instruments
         1. UN Convention Against Torture (CAT)
         2. Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT)
         3. European Convention on Human Rights (Article 3)
      3. Challenges in Eradication
         1. Secret detention sites
         2. Extraordinary Rendition
         3. State endorsement and complicity
   5. Arbitrary Detention
      1. Definition and Legal Benchmarks
         1. Detentions without charge or due process
         2. Detentions violating international law
      2. Mechanisms for Addressing Arbitrary Detention
         1. UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
         2. Habeas Corpus petitions
      3. Notable Cases and Examples
         1. Guantanamo Bay detainees
         2. Political prisoners worldwide
   6. Enforced Disappearances
      1. Understanding Enforced Disappearances
         1. State involvement or acquiescence
         2. Concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person
      2. Global Examples and Case Studies
         1. Disappearances in Latin America (e.g., Argentina’s Dirty War)
         2. Cases in Syria and Sri Lanka
      3. International Legal Instruments and Bodies
         1. International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED)
         2. Committee on Enforced Disappearances
   7. Discrimination
      1. Types of Discrimination Violations
         1. Racial and ethnic discrimination
         2. Gender-based discrimination
         3. Discrimination based on sexual orientation
         4. Religious discrimination
      2. Legal Protections and International Conventions
         1. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
         2. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
         3. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
      3. Current Challenges and Efforts
         1. Institutional and systemic discrimination
         2. Intersectionality and compounded discrimination effects
         3. Efforts towards equality and affirmative action
   8. Measuring and Reporting Violations
      1. Role of International and Local NGOs
         1. Documentation and fact-finding missions
         2. Advocacy and raising awareness
      2. Impact of Media Coverage
         1. Positive and negative influences
         2. Mobilizing international response
      3. Use of Technology and Data
         1. Satellite imagery and digital evidence
         2. Data protection and ethical considerations in reporting