Atty. Glenda Litong

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW & INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

Session 1:

I. What is international human rights law?1.1 What are its history and philosophy

Hurst, Hannum, S. James Anaya & Dinah L. Shelton, International Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy, and Practice (5th ed. 2011) Accessed at http://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1238&context=faculty_publications

Kenneth Cmiel, The Recent History of Human Rights, The American Historical Review, Vo. 109, No. 1(Feb. 2004), pp.117-135. Accessed at http://clas.uiowa.edu/files/history/'Recent%20History%20of%20Human%20Rights'%20AHR%20Feb04.pdf

Jerome J. Shestack, The Philosophic Foundations of Human Rights, Human Rights Quarterly 20.2 (1998) 201-231. Accessed at –

http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=K8oRZgvG- 4kC&hl=de&pg=PA29&source=gbs_navlinks_s&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/ human_rights_quarterly/v020/20.2shestack.html

http://www.princeton.edu/~bsimpson/Human%20Rights/articles/ Shestack,%20Philosophical%20Foundation%20of%20Human%20Rights.htm (link not working, can’t find another source)

Amartya Sen, Elements of a Theory of Human Rights, Philosophy & Public Affairs 32, no. 4 (Blackwell Publising, Inc., 2004). Accessed at http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/mprg/asenETHR.pdf

Sammy Adelman, Culture, Universality and Human Rights in the twenty-first century, PLJ, Volume 70, No. 2 December 1995.

FILARTIGA v. PENA-IRALA CASE 630 f.2D 876 (2D Cir. 1980)

Assignment: Using the above as references, prepare a paper of not less than 2,000 words reflecting on the following article, to be submitted in the next session:

Eric Posner, The Case Against Human Rights, The Guardian (4 December 2014). Accessed at http://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/dec/04/-sp-case-against-human-rights

1.2 Whare its institutions and structures?: The process of internationalization.1.2.1 The United Nations and its Human Rights Treaty BodiesStudy these sites:http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/structure/index.shtml http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx

1.2.1.1 What are the protection mechanisms addressing alleged human rights violation in the UN System?

Charter-based: Human Rights Council (Read: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/AboutCouncil.aspx

Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Read: Report of the Working Group on the Philippines 2nd UPR, http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G12/151/22/PDF/G1215122.pdf?OpenElement)

Special Procedures (Read: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Complaint Procedure (Read: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/ComplaintProcedure/Pages/HRCComplaintProcedureIndex.aspx)

1.2.1.1.1 Treaty Monitoring bodieshttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CCPR/Pages/CCPRIntro.aspx

1.2.1.1.2 Mechanisms specific to marginalized groups

1.2.2 Regional Protection Mechanisms1.2.2.1 Inter American HR System

http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=413 European HR Systemhttp://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=365 http://www.ihrc.ie/training/resources/humanrightsrefe.html

1.2.2.2 African HR System: http://www.achpr.org/about/african-hr-system-guide/

Session 2:

1.3 What are the normative instruments? Amitai Etzioni, The Normativity of Human Rights is Self-evident, Human

Rights Quarterly 32 (The John Hopkins University Press, 2010). Accessed at http://www2.gwu.edu/~ccps/etzioni/documents/Normativity%20of%20Human%20Rights.pdf

Koh, Harold Hongju (1999) “How Is International Human Rights Law Enforced?,” Indiana Law Journal: Vol 74: Iss. 4, Article 9. Accessed at http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol74/iss4/9

1.3.1 The UDHR, International Bill of Rights and the 8 ConventionsRead the texts of the instruments, including Optional Protocols:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CoreInstruments.aspx

1.3.2 Interpretations of Treaty-Monitoring Bodies Dinah Shelton, The Legal Status of Normative Pronouncements of Human

Rights Treaty Bodies, in 1 COEXISTENCE, COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY 553-75 (Holger P. Hestermeyer et. al. Eds., 2011). Accessed at http://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1387&context=faculty_publications

Read the following General Comments:

HRC GENERAL COMMENT 6 (1982) The right to life (article 6) HRC Draft General Comment No. 35 (2013) Liberty and security of person

(Article 9) CESCR General Comment No. 4 (1991) the right to adequate housing CESCR General Comment No. 7 (1997) the right to adequate housing

forced evictions (art.11.1) CESCR General Comment No. 12 (1999) the right to adequate food CEDAW General recommendations No. 12 (1989) & 19 (1992) on violence

against women CRC General Comment No. 13 (2013) on Freedom froom all forms of

violence