UN Database on Arbitrary Detention

http://www.unwgaddatabase.org/un/

This database has been created by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with the assistance of Freedom Now, a non-governmental human rights organization. It provides free access to document issued by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. 

The official mandate for this is Resolution 1991/42 of the former Commission on Human Rights (approved by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in decision 1991/243 of 31 May 1991). This decision established a working group of five independent experts, initially for three years. The experts are mandated to investigate cases of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily or otherwise inconsistently with the international standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or the relevant international legal instruments accepted by the States concerned. 

Documents include case notes, human rights instruments. Topics include detention of immigrants. Detention at Guantanamo Bay.

Bahrain Human Rights Reforms

 

This week a commission reported into future human rights reforms in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This BBC report has a direct link to an English language version of the full text.
 

The Congressional reports service also recently published a report on Bahrain, security and US foreign policy which can be downloaded in October 2011. More official information on Bahrain can also be located on the official egovernment portal. Remember this is maintained by the government itself!

The Rights Future

Professor Conor Gearty of the LSE (London School of Economics)  has just launched  a collaborative writing project which aims to discuss and about human rights: their past, their current health and their future prospects. Starting with his RIGHTS' MANIFESTO, he is releasing a series of weekly essays onto the web which will probe the history of human rights, address their present state in the world and map out some of the possible futures. Scholars can then respond to them and their comments will help reformulate the essays.

Visit the website here: http://therightsfuture.com/