JBI Human Rights

JBI Analysis of the International Criminal Court’s Arrest Warrant Against Russia’s President Putin for War Crimes Targeting Children in Ukraine

The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights has published an analysis of the information known about and significance of the arrest warrants issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 17, 2023. These are the first warrants issued by the Court with respect to the situation in Ukraine, and the third time the Court has issued a warrant against a sitting Head of State.

The ICC has indicated that the arrest warrants issued on March 17, which are being kept confidential to protect victims, indicate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Putin and Lvova-Belova are responsible for the war crimes of forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, particularly from orphanages and care homes. It is alleged that many of these children have since been adopted by Russian families, a process facilitated by Presidential decrees issued by President Putin that expedite the process for children to acquire Russian citizenship. The ICC Prosecutor has said that these legal and policy measures “demonstrate an intention to permanently remove these children from their own country.”

While neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court, Ukraine has accepted the Court’s jurisdiction with respect to its own territory and is cooperating with its investigation.

JBI’s analysis examines the significance of the arrest warrants, recounts publicly-available reports of the alleged abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and describes the limitations on the ICC’s capacity to act further on the arrest warrants absent assistance from States parties to the Rome Statute. The ICC’s recent action is a significant step towards ensuring that senior Russian officials are held accountable for this particularly disturbing pattern of criminal behavior, but further action will be required to ensure that the affected children are returned to their families and that justice is done.

Read JBI’s full analysis here.

New JBI Appeal on the One-Year Anniversary of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Collective Action Needed to Uphold Human Rights, Secure Peace, and Ensure Justice

The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights has published a new assessment of the international response to Russia’s unprovoked attack against and its reported commission of widespread and systematic human rights violations and war crimes in Ukraine to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

Entitled JBI Appeal on the One-Year Anniversary of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Collective Action Needed to Uphold Human Rights, Secure Peace, and Ensure Justice, the new assessment calls on States to take further action, individually and collectively, to bring about an end to the conflict and the widespread human rights violations that are ongoing, while upholding Ukraine’s territorial integrity and creating the necessary conditions for the people of Ukraine to obtain redress, including guarantees that the harm to which they have been subjected will not be repeated in the future.

Among its recommendations, the assessment calls on States to:

• Maintain and continue to support the independent monitoring mechanisms documenting and verifying the reports of widespread violations emerging from Ukraine and Russia.
• Vote in favor of a resolution calling for extending the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine for another year which will be considered by the UN Human Rights Council in early April 2023.
• Provide financial support to the UN Human Rights Office to ensure the continued operation of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
• Encourage the UN Human Rights Office to provide adequate assistance to the new Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia.
• Support and facilitate the work of independent human rights monitors and journalists reporting on human rights concerns in Ukraine and Russia.
• Continue to amplify the findings and conclusions of independent and impartial monitors and raise alarm about egregious abuses.
• Continue to draw attention to and amplify the findings of independent UN human rights monitors about serious violations in Ukraine, including at the Human Rights Council and the resumed emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine.
• Following its publication in March 2023, circulate the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine as an official document of the UN Security Council and invite the Chair of the COI to brief the Council.
• Continue inviting senior UN human rights officials to brief the UN Security Council on Ukraine.
• Continue to invest diplomatic energy in mobilizing widespread support for collective responses to the crisis in Ukraine that reaffirm the importance of respect for human rights.
• Vote in favor of the draft resolution that the UN General Assembly will consider at the next meeting of the emergency special session on Ukraine on February 22, 2023.
• Consistently to express support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the need for accountability for atrocity crimes committed during the conflict.
• Encourage UN officials to continue to publicize information about the commission of serious human rights violations in Ukraine and Russia.
• Take further action to hold accountable and deter further harmful actions by the individuals and entities most responsible for violations in Ukraine.
• Provide support to efforts to gather evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine and facilitate prosecution of perpetrators of such acts.
• Increase the financial and personal consequences facing the individuals and entities most responsible for the continued aggression and gross human rights violations that Russian forces and those associated with them continue to commit against the people of Ukraine, including by strengthening existing sanctions.
• Ensure that those affected by the conflict in Ukraine receive needed assistance.
• Support measures aimed at ensuring that Ukrainian victims of the Russian aggression obtain redress and reparation for the harm they have experienced.
• Provide funds to support the UN’s $5.6 billion humanitarian appeal for Ukraine and neighboring countries that have accepted large numbers of refugees.
• Expand domestic infrastructure for refugee resettlement.

As Russia’s offensive campaign and illegitimate claim to sovereignty over several areas of Ukraine show no sign of abating, it is critical that States sustain these positive measures and deepen their commitment to securing a just resolution of the conflict in which Ukraine’s territorial integrity is maintained and in which victims of the many grave violations that have been committed are able to obtain justice and redress, as expeditiously as possible.

The full statement is available here.

JBI Calls for a More Robust International Response to Russia’s Invasion of and Human Rights Violations in Ukraine

The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) is alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which poses an existential challenge to the rules-based global order and can be seen as an attack on democracy itself.  The high number of reported civilian casualties, the massive exodus of refugees and internal displacement that has been triggered by the brutal Russian military campaign, and reports of serious human rights violations committed by Russian forces in Ukrainian territory they now control are deeply concerning. As detailed in JBI's new statement, the reported violations include but are not limited to abductions and killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, forced displacement, and torture and other ill-treatment of public officials, journalists, aid workers and Ukrainians protesting against Russia's actions. JBI's statement also notes reports that Russian officials have committed serious rights violations against their own citizens in the weeks since the invasion began, including large-scale detention of protesters and censorship aimed at preventing and punishing any criticism of the military campaign.

JBI's statement reviews the actions that governments have taken individually and at international bodies to respond to Russia's invasion and violations and calls for a more robust response. JBI calls on governments to continue their efforts to demand that Russia cease its aggression, withdraw from Ukraine, and respect its human rights obligations. It calls for governments to take measures to ensure that Ukrainian people fleeing the crisis receive the support and protection they require. It calls on governments to ensure that Russia's leaders face meaningful consequences for the violations they have committed, including at the UN and through strengthened sanctions. It calls on governments to support and strengthen the visibility of the work of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has maintained an in-country monitoring mission in Ukraine throughout the recent hostilities. It calls on UN leaders and governments to ensure that concerns for human rights protection and accountability are integrated into every mechanism established to coordinate the global response to this crisis. The full statement is available here.

JBI Statement on the Need for Urgent Human Rights Protection and Monitoring in Afghanistan

The crisis in Afghanistan requires urgent protection of people and their human rights. The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) has released a statement that outlines the human rights dimensions of the situation and advises on what governments, acting individually and through international organizations, can and must do. It also recommends actions and principles to guide the responses of the United Nations system.  We call on the international community to ensure the safety of Afghans, particularly women and girls, who are most at risk under the Taliban, a UN designated terrorist organization.

As a matter of priority, JBI calls on governments to identify ways to evacuate women leaders, human rights defenders, and other at-risk persons, including US and NATO allies. JBI calls on member States at the UN to adopt a resolution both at the upcoming emergency session of the Human Rights Council as well as the UN General Assembly session for an effective monitoring and reporting mechanism. JBI also calls on the UN to state clearly that all UN system actors active in Afghanistan or engaging with the Taliban will adhere to a system-wide approach that prioritizes respect for human rights, which is a core purpose of the United Nations according to its Charter.

Please find our full statement and list of recommendations here.

The Jacob Blaustein Institute's 50 Years of Achievements Highlighted in New Video Tribute

Founded in 1971 with a mission to ensure greater protection of the universal rights of all, the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) has worked tirelessly to prevent genocide and hold perpetrators of atrocities to account, to combat religious intolerance and discrimination of all kinds, to support the work of human rights defenders, and to strengthen the effectiveness of the international human rights machinery at the United Nations and beyond.

A 5-minute video launched today highlights some of JBI's most important achievements on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. 

 

JBI Applauds Top UN Expert’s Contributions to Advancing Human Rights and Fighting Antisemitism

In a virtual conversation first broadcast on June 9, 2021, Felice Gaer, Director of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), thanked Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, for his personal courage and conviction and highlighted several of his many achievements as an effective and courageous advocate for human rights. The conversation touched on several topics. These included Dr. Shaheed's ongoing work to encourage implementation of the recommendations he made in his historic 2019 report to the UN General Assembly recognizing global antisemitism as a serious human rights challenge. Dr. Shaheed also discussed his ongoing concerns about human rights in Iran, reflecting on his previous role as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in that country, and on his efforts to promote an inclusive understanding of the right to freedom of religion or belief and highlight the situation of many individuals facing discrimination and impediments to fully exercising that rights. 

The entire conversation can be viewed below:

China's 'Unconscionable' Campaign Against the Uyghurs: Stopping the Genocide Occurring on Our Watch

On May 5, 2021, Felice Gaer, Director of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), delivered the presentation below entitled, “China's 'Unconscionable' Campaign Against the Uyghurs: Stopping the Genocide Occurring on Our Watch.” Gaer discusses the reports of serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese government against the Uyghur population and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. She describes the legal components of the crime of genocide and the justifications that have been provided by the analysts and governments that have determined that China's conduct constitutes this crime. 

 

Gaer also discusses the reactions and measures taken by the U.S. and other governments in response to these allegations, as well as China’s reaction. Gaer also reviews the measures that JBI and other non-governmental organizations have taken to express concern about the situation facing the Uyghurs and to call for action to protect them, as well as additional measures that could encourage China to change course.

 

On the UN Charter's 75th Anniversary, JBI's New Publication Recounts AJC's Advocacy for Human Rights & High-Level Event Explores the UN's Place in U.S. Foreign Policy Today

On June 26, the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, JBI published a new report recounting AJC's role in ensuring the inclusion of human rights as a principal purpose of the UN and led an AJC Advocacy Anywhere event with two former U.S. Ambassadors to the UN examining the organization's enduring role in U.S. foreign policy.

The new JBI publication, Making a Difference: AJC's Advocacy for Human Rights in the United Nations Charter, details the efforts made by AJC leaders Judge Joseph Proskauer, AJC President, and Jacob Blaustein, Chair of AJC’s Executive Committee, to ensure that the preeminent multilateral organization to emerge from the ashes of the Holocaust would have human rights at its core.

Authored by Felice Gaer, Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), the report details the essential contributions of AJC and other non-governmental organizations which were invited to send representatives to serve as "consultants" to the U.S. delegation to the 1945 Conference on International Organizations in San Francisco, where the UN Charter was finalized.

The NGO consultants engaged with the U.S. delegation on a number of issues, especially on the need to ensure that human rights would be a central purpose of the UN and a body dedicated to addressing human rights would be created. Among the consultants, Proskauer and Blaustein played a particularly decisive role in persuading the American delegation to seek the key human rights-related amendments to the draft UN Charter. With the U.S taking the lead among all 50 countries participating in the San Francisco conference, the consultants’ proposals on human rights were incorporated in the UN Charter signed on June 26, 1945.

An abbreviated version of the report, also published on June 26 on the Universal Rights Group's URG Insights blog series, is available here.

Also on June 26, AJC convened a virtual event as part of its Advocacy Anywhere series entitled "The United Nations at 75: What Role in U.S. Foreign Policy?" The event featured former U.S. Ambassadors to the UN John Negroponte and David Pressman, in conversation with Ms. Gaer about the UN's enduring value as a forum to advance U.S. interests - including promotion of human rights - globally.

A recording of the event can be viewed here:

 

New JBI Report on the Impact of the UN's Human Rights Office in New York

A new report by the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights charts the progress made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York (OHCHR-NY), focusing particularly on the years since an Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Human Rights was created to head the office in 2010. The report reveals that OHCHR-NY has made great strides in increasing the impact of the UN’s human rights program on the United Nations’ broader work related to peace and security, development, and humanitarian assistance, and at the same time has begun to serve as a key New York-based facilitator for independent UN human rights experts, human rights defenders, and NGOs.

Informed by an expert discussion convened by JBI in early 2017, the report proposes a number of recommendations to strengthen the UN's response to serious human rights crises around the world in the years ahead.

The report is available for download here.

 

Game-Changer: the U.S. at the UN Human Rights Council

JBI's new briefing paper, Game-Changer: the U.S. at the UN Human Rights Council, presents data and analysis demonstrating how the U.S. presence on the Human Rights Council has led to results in key U.S. priority areas, including  on the body’s performance with respect to country-specific scrutiny and its treatment of Israel.

Noting that further reforms to address the Council’s enduring flaws are both necessary and achievable, the briefing paper puts forward recommendations on how the U.S. can work with allies to achieve these reforms in the years ahead.  It also concludes, with an eye to the Council's record of performance during the years prior to U.S. engagement, that a U.S. withdrawal from the world body would result in negative consequences for multilateral efforts to protect and advance human rights.

Key findings include:

• The U.S. presence on the Human Rights Council has resulted in scrutiny of many of the world’s worst human rights violators. 
• The Council has promoted universal human rights principles as a result of U.S. engagement.
• U.S. participation has improved the Human Rights Council’s treatment of Israel.
• The Council’s membership is more rights-respecting as a result of U.S. leadership.
• U.S. engagement with the Human Rights Council has been a “game changer” for the world body, and redoubled commitment to reform could bring significant improvements.

The full text of the briefing paper is available for download here: JBI Briefing Paper - Game Changer - US on UNHRC