If you want to work on a common initiative related to one or several topics listed below, please contact us at community@prisonlitigation.org
United Nations >>
Council of Europe >>
UNITED NATIONS
Human rights council
56th regular session ■ 18 June – 12 July 2024
The HRC will consider the High Commissioner for Human Rights‘ annual report as well as several other reports (on key challenges regarding the human rights dimension of access to medicines and vaccines, on the situation of human rights in Ukraine and on civil society space). It will also examine the reports of the Special Rapporteur on Health, of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus. UPR outcome will also be adopted in in respect of Monaco and Malta.
>> NGOs in consultative status with the ECOSOC can participate in the session: see guidance for civil society here and details on the session’s programme here.
UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW
48th session ■ 20 – 31 January 2025
The UPR working group will review Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, San Marino, and Slovenia.
>> NGOs can submit information by 16 July 2024. See details here.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
76th session ■ 9 – 27 September 2024
The CESCR will review the State reports of Albania, Cyprus, Iceland and Poland and will review Azerbaijan under the follow-up procedure.
>> NGOs can submit information by 12 August 2024. See details on the session here.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
142nd session ■ 14 October – 8 November 2024
The Human Rights Committee will review State reports submitted by Albania, France, Greece, Iceland and Türkiye, will adopt a List of issues (LOI) in respect of Latvia, and will adopt Lists of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR) in respect of Monaco, Poland and Slovenia.
>> NGOs can submit information on LOI and LOIPR by 19 August 2024 and on State reports by 16 September 2024. See details on the session here.
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Call for submissions ■ Children’s rights to access to justice and effective remedies
The CRC is drafting general comment no. 27 on children’s rights to access to justice and effective remedies and is seeking contributions to clarify terms, approaches and actions States should take in order to implement the right of all children to access justice and effective remedies.
>> NGOs can submit their input by 23 August 2024. See details here.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
1507th DH meeting ■ 17 – 19 September 2024
Among other cases and group of cases under review, the following concern prisoners’ rights:
- László Magyar v. Hungary group of cases (life sentence without parole in combination with the lack of an adequate review mechanism, life sentence with parole after 40 years).
- Petrescu v. Portugal group of cases (overcrowding and poor conditions of detention in prisons and lack of effective remedies).
- Gurban v. Türkiye group of cases (absence of any mechanism to review “aggravated” life imprisonment sentence).
- Mozer v. the Republic of Moldova and Russia (detention and conditions of detention in separatist region of the Republic of Moldova, and lack of an effective remedy in this respect)
- Georgia v. Russia (I) and Georgia v. Russia (II) (detention, detention conditions of Georgian civilians and prisoners of war, exposed to inhuman and degrading treatment)
>> NGOs are encouraged to submit information by the end of July 2024. See detailed list of cases here and EIN’s Rule 9 Submission Guide here.
European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Country visits ■ 2025
The CPT announced it will visit the following countries in 2025: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Romania and Spain.
>> NGOs in possession of relevant information concerning the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in these countries are invited to approach the Committee ahead of visits. See press release here.
