Ending El Salvador’s Cycle of Gang Violence

Ending El Salvador’s Cycle of Gang Violence

Thursday, October 13, 2022

By: José Miguel Cruz;  Mary Speck, Ph.D.

El Salvador has long suffered from cycles of extreme violence linked to powerful criminal gangs. National authorities have responded with both severe repression and secret appeasement. In public, governments may enact “mano dura” or “iron-fist” policies, which include mass arrests of suspected gang members. But in secret, Salvadoran leaders have negotiated with imprisoned gang leaders, providing them with benefits in return for ordering their members to dial back the bloodshed.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Nobel Peace Prize: Documenting Rights Abuses is Vital in Ukraine and Beyond

Nobel Peace Prize: Documenting Rights Abuses is Vital in Ukraine and Beyond

Thursday, October 13, 2022

By: Lauren Baillie;  Donald N. Jensen, Ph.D.

The award of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to one individual and two civil society organizations — from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine — recognizes the critical role civil society documenters play in holding states accountable for human rights abuses. The laureates have brought to light the breadth of abuses committed by authoritarian regimes in Belarus and Russia and the vast harms suffered by Ukrainians as a result of the Russian invasion. They also reflect a larger global trend, where civil society organizations document crimes in order to hold perpetrators accountable, memorialize the suffering of victims, and provide critical information to families on the fates of their loved ones.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Never Again? The Legacy of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials

Never Again? The Legacy of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials

Monday, October 3, 2022

By: Nicole Cochran;  Andrew Wells-Dang, Ph.D.

Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled over Cambodia committed untold atrocities, with an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people dying of starvation, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. In mid-September, over 40 years after its reign of terror, the only formal accountability mechanism to prosecute the Khmer Rouge —the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) — issued the final decision of its judicial mandate. While the court's legacy is complex, it served an important platform for accountability and reparations for victims. As it moves to a new phase of residual functions over the next three years, the international community should prioritize supporting its work, which is vital to boosting peace and stability and protecting the rights of Cambodians.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Beijing’s Strategy for Asserting Its “Party Rule by Law” Abroad

Beijing’s Strategy for Asserting Its “Party Rule by Law” Abroad

Thursday, September 29, 2022

By: Jordan Link;  Nina Palmer;  Laura Edwards

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has taken steps to assert more influence over the international legal system and to shape the global legal environment to better serve its political and economic objectives. This report examines the potential ramifications of China’s assertive use of new legal tools for US interests and international stability, and discusses several options that the United States and its partners can pursue to bolster the rules-based order that underpins global stability and cooperation.

Type: Special Report

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Want more accountability for the Taliban? Give more money for human rights monitoring.

Want more accountability for the Taliban? Give more money for human rights monitoring.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

By: Belquis Ahmadi;  Scott Worden

Ahead of the U.N. General Assembly last week, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett released his first report grading the Taliban’s treatment of Afghans’ rights. It was an F. In the past year, the Taliban have engaged in a full-scale assault on Afghan’s human rights, denying women access to public life, dismantling human rights institutions, corrupting independent judicial processes, and engaging in extralegal measures to maintain control or to exact revenge for opposition to their rule. That is one of the main reasons — along with their continued support of al-Qaida and a refusal to form a more inclusive government — that Afghanistan has no representation at the U.N.

Type: Analysis

Human RightsJustice, Security & Rule of Law

A Look at the Laws of War — and How Russia is Violating Them

A Look at the Laws of War — and How Russia is Violating Them

Thursday, September 29, 2022

By: Lise Morjé Howard, Ph.D.

In recent weeks, Ukraine’s swift counteroffensive has led to the discovery of yet more heinous acts committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian military personnel and civilians. These add to a growing list of atrocities discovered in towns like Bucha and Irpin. Indeed, as the war has ground on, we have heard a lot about Russia committing crimes of aggression and crimes against humanity, possibly even genocide. The types of crimes are numerous and somewhat confusing. It’s worth taking a moment to sort out the differences between the basic categories of crimes, to better understand what’s happening in Ukraine, and to contemplate what these crimes may mean for the future of world peace.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Is Russia Committing Genocide in Ukraine?

Is Russia Committing Genocide in Ukraine?

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

By: Ashish Kumar Sen

Russian troops forced to beat a hasty retreat in Ukraine are leaving behind evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. As this body of evidence grows, officials and experts are becoming increasingly convinced that Russia is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Diálogos de Seguridad Ciudadana en Colombia

Diálogos de Seguridad Ciudadana en Colombia

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

La firma del Acuerdo de Paz del 2016 entre el gobierno colombiano y las FARC-EP abrió nuevas ventanas de oportunidad para transformar paradigmas de seguridad que respondan mejor a las necesidades y prioridades de la ciudadanía. Sin embargo, la implementación equitativa del Acuerdo en zonas rurales del territorio sigue siendo un desafío.

Type: Fact Sheet

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Citizen Security Dialogues in Colombia

Citizen Security Dialogues in Colombia

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

The signing of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP opened new windows of opportunity to transform security paradigms that better respond to the needs and priorities of citizens. However, implementing the Agreement and ensuring that its provisions are equitably implemented in rural areas of the territory remains an elusive challenge.

Type: Fact Sheet

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Five Ways to Make the U.S. Atrocity Prevention Strategy Work

Five Ways to Make the U.S. Atrocity Prevention Strategy Work

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

By: Lauren Baillie;  Andrea Gittleman

From Ukraine to Ethiopia to Burma and beyond, people around the world suffer mass atrocities and the immense harm these crimes inflict on victims and survivors. Yet, the United States had no articulated strategy to prevent these atrocities — until now. In July, the Biden administration announced the “U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent, and Respond to Atrocities,” marking a hopeful moment. However, hard work remains to operationalize the strategy, including in maintaining the political will to realize an effective prevention agenda.

Type: Analysis

Human RightsJustice, Security & Rule of Law