
News
The right to truth and justice – why do the archives of Chile’s National Commission on Political Prisoners and Torture remain secret for 50 years?
This question is examined by Chilean laywer Felipe Téllez, who draws the conclusion that the law which imposes the restriction of access needs to be changed, at least in order to grant judicial bodies access to relevant information in order to help with their investigations.
Recent Posts
- The right to truth and justice – why do the archives of Chile’s National Commission on Political Prisoners and Torture remain secret for 50 years?
- Heiner Bielefeldt “Sources of Solidarity : A Short Introduction to the Foundations of Human Rights”
- The persecution of Hedme Castro continues in Honduras – call for donations
- The Dangers of Sexist Rhetoric on Social Media (2016-2021)
- Marking the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Ensuring gender equality in post-conflict reconstruction: Three primary challenges and corresponding approaches
- Towards a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the former Yugoslavia
- Brazil’s clandestine mass grave in Perus (São Paulo)
- The Molina Theissen case
- The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ report on the Herzog Case: A reflection on the tortuous way for the right to memory and truth and on the absence of justice in Brazil
Understanding Human Rights

The Shelter City Project
In many countries around the world, human rights defenders are persecuted for their work and convictions. They are put under surveillance, threatened, harassed, and detained arbitrarily; often, they face enforced disappearance, torture, and even death. One of the organizations concerned with the protection of human rights defenders is the Dutch NGO Justice & Peace. In 2012, the organization founded the program Shelter City. Under the program, human rights defenders are offered temporary protection for three months in a Dutch city. In this time, they can recover and resume their work in peace.
Social Rights
Disputes over Genetically Modified Maize in Mexico from the Perspective of the Human Right to Food
Mexico is fighting a fierce battle over the cultivation of genetically modified maize. With maize being the main food source and having deep cultural meanings, Mexican civil society is concerned about its biodiversity, possible risks to human health and access to food.
International Criminal Law

Towards a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the former Yugoslavia
The purpose of this article is to elaborate on the need for, and the prospect of, establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the former Yugoslavia. The ratio for such a commission has much to do with the failings of the Yugoslav Tribunal to realize its didactic purposes to its fullest potential, a consequence of anti-Tribunal propaganda and the inability to generate a form of truth that would serve as an adequate basis for post-conflict reconciliation. Following the outlining of these shortcomings, this paper shall assess some of the past and more recent attempts aimed towards the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission within the former Yugoslav states.
Regions
The Dangers of Sexist Rhetoric on Social Media (2016-2021)
Social networks have created new communication channels, but they are also a breeding ground of sexist rhetoric and gender specific desinformation about female candidates and politicians. With the upcoming federal elections in Germany, the subject is currently especially important and visible. This article analyzes common attacks against women with examples from Germany and the US.
Projects
From Nuremberg to The Hague – The Road to the International Criminal Court
The stony path from The Nuremberg Trial 60 years ago, when those primarily responsible for the war and war crimes in Germany had to answer for their actions, to finally establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002 is presented in an exhibition, which was inaugurated on October 2, 2006 in The Hague.