Publications

On the Record: U.S. Disclosures on Rendition, Secret Detention, and Coercive Interrogation

Based on publicly available information, On the Record aggregates a wide range of disclosures on U.S. rendition, secret detention, and coercive interrogation activities. It includes statements by current U.S. officials and a plethora of other publicly available information from foreign government officials, former U.S. officials, the media, inter-governmental organizations, human rights organizations, and former detainees and rendered individuals themselves. As an informational resource, this report sheds light both on what has been revealed and what has been obscured by the U.S. government, underlining both the selectivity and undue secrecy informing what it chooses to disclose on the record.

Rights Groups Launch Groundbreaking Report on Right to Water in Haiti (2008)

Lack of access to clean water in Haiti has devastating health consequences and constitutes a clear violation of Haitians’ right to water according to both domestic and international legal obligations, claims a new report released today by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), Partners In Health (PIH), the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center (RFK Center), and Zanmi Lasante. The release of the report, “Wòch nan Soley: The Denial of the Right to Water in Haiti,” comes just months after public outrage over rising food prices led to a full-blown political crisis in Haiti.

The 87-page report—which combines health and water data gathered on the ground in Haiti, legal analysis, and discussion of the historical context—presents the findings of a joint project conducted by the groups, who worked together to research, author, and release it. The groups used human rights and public health methodologies to assess the right to water in Haiti by surveying community members, testing water sources, and meeting with community leaders and government officials.

Groundbreaking Report on Caste Discrimination in Nepal (2008)

Nepal’s new constitution must recognize and protect the fundamental human rights of Dalits, says a new report released today by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law. The report was released on the heels of Nepal’s historic Constituent Assembly elections held on April 10, 2008.

The 89-page report Recasting Justice: Securing Dalit Rights in Nepal’s New Constitution analyzes Nepal’s Interim Constitution to inform how the new constitution may be drafted in accordance with the country’s international human rights obligations to secure the rights of Dalits—a group which has faced more than 2000 years of systematic discrimination on the basis of caste. As Nepal prepares its new constitution after years of prolonged civil war, Recasting Justice provides Nepalese lawmakers with tangible means to demonstrate the country’s commitment to the inherent dignity and human rights of all individuals.

On the Margins of Profit: Rights at Risk in the Global Economy (2008)

People in countries across the world are regularly harmed when businesses fail to respect basic human rights, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law.

The clear evidence of widespread abuse and government inaction detailed in the report shows that global standards are needed to ensure that corporate conduct respects internationally recognized human rights.

The 53-page report, On the Margins of Profit: Rights at Risk in the Global Economy, was jointly prepared by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. It illustrates how everyday business decisions have significant implications for the human rights of workers, local communities, suppliers, and consumers.

Press Release

Surviving the Darkness: Testimony from the U.S. “Black Sites” (2007)

Surviving the Darkness is the narrative of Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, a Yemeni national who spent more than a year and a half in the CIA’s secret detention program. Mr. Bashmilah, along with four other individuals, is a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc.—a subsidiary of the Boeing Corporation—alleging that Jeppesen provided flight services enabling the transfer of Bashmilah and the four other plaintiffs to secret CIA detention centers around the world.

On October 19, 2007, the U.S. government filed motions to intervene and dismiss the action or, in the alternative, for summary judgment on the basis that the case concerns state secrets. On December 14, 2007, Bashmilah’s account—alongside a legal memorandum and the accounts of other plaintiffs in the suit—was filed by the ACLU in support of the plaintiffs’ opposition to the government’s motion.

Press release

"Off the Record": U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the "War on Terror" (2007)

The 21-page report, titled 'Off the Record': U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the "War on Terror," - drafted by Amnesty International, Cageprisoners, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, Human Rights Watch, and Reprieve - provides new names of missing detainees, new information about those known to be disappeared, and names relatives of suspects who were themselves detained in secret prisons, including children as young as seven.

Press release

Americans on Hold: Profiling, Citizenship, and the "War on Terror" (2007)

The 63-page report documents the impact of expanded security checks on the lives of those experiencing citizenship delays, often for years on end.  The report analyzes these delays and their impact within an international human rights framework, and offers specific policy recommendations to help end discrimination in access to citizenship and other human rights violations.

Press release

Hidden Apartheid: Caste Discrimination Against India's "Untouchables"(2007)

The 113-page report was produced as a “shadow report” in response to India’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Committee will review India’s compliance with the Convention during hearings in Geneva on February 23 and 26. The report was prepared by NYU School of Law's International Human Rights Clinic. Faculty Director Professor Smita Narula, Research Director Jayne Huckerby and Clinic students will present the report's findings in Geneva.

Press release

Irreversible Consequences: Racial Profiling and Lethal Force in the "War on Terror" (2006)

This 71-page report critiques two trends in "shoot-to-kill" policies that are embodied in Training Keys issued by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP): the use of certain behavioral and other indicators to detect a suicide bomber that act as proxies for religious, racial, ethnic and nationality profiling; and removal of the usual safeguards that attach to the use of force when responding to the threat of suicide bombers.

Press release

By the Numbers: Findings of the Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project (2006) (with Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First)

This 31-page report presents preliminary findings of the Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project, a joint project of the Center, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First.  The project is the first comprehensive accounting of credible allegations of torture and abuse in U.S. custody in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo.  By April 2006, the project had collected hundreds of allegations of detainee abuse occurring since late 2001- allegations implicating more than 600 U.S. military and civilian personnel and involving more than 460 detainees.  This ongoing project is also tracking criminal and administrative measures taken to punish abusers.

Press release

Enabling Torture: International Law Applicable to State Participation in the Unlawful Activities of Other States (2006)

This 28-page report outlines the factual allegations of other countries’ involvement in U.S. activities; considers when and where a state’s human rights obligations apply; comprehensively assesses the role of international aviation law; outlines a state’s primary human rights obligations; and identifies when a state will be derivatively responsible for acts of another State.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including Amnesty International.

Fate and Whereabouts Unknown: Detainees in the "War on Terror" (2005)

This 34-page report provides the names and detailed backgrounds of 28 individuals who may be held in U.S. secret sites. The 28 include well-known terrorism suspects such as Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as individuals who have not been widely reported as among those "disappeared," including Suleiman Abdalla, Abu Naseem, and Aafia Siddiqui.

The report also draws attention to the connections between extraordinary renditions and disappearances.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including Amnesty International; the Council of Europe and Human Rights First

Torture by Proxy: International Law Applicable to "Extraordinary Renditions" (2005)

This 11-page report was prepared for the U.K. All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition for distribution to members of the U.K. Parliament.  It defines extraordinary rendition; provides examples of the practice; outlines how extraordinary rendition violates international human rights, humanitarian, and refugee law; identifies the international law obligations of States with regard to acts of extraordinary rendition by other States; and explains the extent to which international law applies in the "War on Terror."

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Caste Discrimination and the Conflict in Nepal (2005)

This 65-page report charges that caste discrimination is both a root cause and insidious consequence of the conflict in Nepal.  This report was released during the meeting of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and its findings have been cited by key actors, including the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal.

Beyond Guantánamo: Transfers to Torture One Year After Rasul v. Bush (2005)

This 30-page report released on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Rasul v. Bush reveals and examines the strategies that the Administration employs to keep detainees outside the ambit of the U.S. legal system. These strategies include extraordinary rendition, "reverse rendition," and transfers into secret detention.

Case Summary Annex.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Center for Constitutional Rights; Council of Europe; and Human Rights First.

Torture by Proxy: International and Domestic Law Applicable to "Extraordinary Renditions" (2004) (with Association of the Bar of the City of New York)

This 131-page report presents a synopsis of alleged instances of extraordinary rendition; an in-depth analysis of applicable domestic and international legal standards; and concludes that extraordinary renditions are contrary to U.S. and international laws and policy.  This report contributed to legislative efforts to end rendition.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including ACLU; Center for Constitutional Rights; Council of Europe; and Human Rights First.

On the Record: U.S. Disclosures on Rendition, Secret Detention, and Coercive Interrogation

Based on publicly available information, On the Record aggregates a wide range of disclosures on U.S. rendition, secret detention, and coercive interrogation activities. It includes statements by current U.S. officials and a plethora of other publicly available information from foreign government officials, former U.S. officials, the media, inter-governmental organizations, human rights organizations, and former detainees and rendered individuals themselves. As an informational resource, this report sheds light both on what has been revealed and what has been obscured by the U.S. government, underlining both the selectivity and undue secrecy informing what it chooses to disclose on the record.

Surviving the Darkness: Testimony from the U.S. “Black Sites” (2007)

Surviving the Darkness is the narrative of Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah, a Yemeni national who spent more than a year and a half in the CIA’s secret detention program. Mr. Bashmilah, along with four other individuals, is a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc.—a subsidiary of the Boeing Corporation—alleging that Jeppesen provided flight services enabling the transfer of Bashmilah and the four other plaintiffs to secret CIA detention centers around the world.

On October 19, 2007, the U.S. government filed motions to intervene and dismiss the action or, in the alternative, for summary judgment on the basis that the case concerns state secrets. On December 14, 2007, Bashmilah’s account—alongside a legal memorandum and the accounts of other plaintiffs in the suit—was filed by the ACLU in support of the plaintiffs’ opposition to the government’s motion.

Press release

"Off the Record": U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the "War on Terror" (2007)

The 21-page report, titled 'Off the Record': U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the "War on Terror," - drafted by Amnesty International, Cageprisoners, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, Human Rights Watch, and Reprieve - provides new names of missing detainees, new information about those known to be disappeared, and names relatives of suspects who were themselves detained in secret prisons, including children as young as seven.

Press release

By the Numbers: Findings of the Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project (2006) (with Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First)

This 31-page report presents preliminary findings of the Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project, a joint project of the Center, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First.  The project is the first comprehensive accounting of credible allegations of torture and abuse in U.S. custody in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo.  By April 2006, the project had collected hundreds of allegations of detainee abuse occurring since late 2001- allegations implicating more than 600 U.S. military and civilian personnel and involving more than 460 detainees.  This ongoing project is also tracking criminal and administrative measures taken to punish abusers.

Press release

Enabling Torture: International Law Applicable to State Participation in the Unlawful Activities of Other States (2006)

This 28-page report outlines the factual allegations of other countries’ involvement in U.S. activities; considers when and where a state’s human rights obligations apply; comprehensively assesses the role of international aviation law; outlines a state’s primary human rights obligations; and identifies when a state will be derivatively responsible for acts of another State.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including Amnesty International.

Fate and Whereabouts Unknown: Detainees in the "War on Terror" (2005)

This 34-page report provides the names and detailed backgrounds of 28 individuals who may be held in U.S. secret sites. The 28 include well-known terrorism suspects such as Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as individuals who have not been widely reported as among those "disappeared," including Suleiman Abdalla, Abu Naseem, and Aafia Siddiqui.

The report also draws attention to the connections between extraordinary renditions and disappearances.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including Amnesty International; the Council of Europe and Human Rights First

Torture by Proxy: International Law Applicable to "Extraordinary Renditions" (2005)

This 11-page report was prepared for the U.K. All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition for distribution to members of the U.K. Parliament.  It defines extraordinary rendition; provides examples of the practice; outlines how extraordinary rendition violates international human rights, humanitarian, and refugee law; identifies the international law obligations of States with regard to acts of extraordinary rendition by other States; and explains the extent to which international law applies in the "War on Terror."

Beyond Guantánamo: Transfers to Torture One Year After Rasul v. Bush (2005)

This 30-page report released on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Rasul v. Bush reveals and examines the strategies that the Administration employs to keep detainees outside the ambit of the U.S. legal system. These strategies include extraordinary rendition, "reverse rendition," and transfers into secret detention.

Case Summary Annex.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); Center for Constitutional Rights; Council of Europe; and Human Rights First.

Torture by Proxy: International and Domestic Law Applicable to "Extraordinary Renditions" (2004) (with Association of the Bar of the City of New York)

This 131-page report presents a synopsis of alleged instances of extraordinary rendition; an in-depth analysis of applicable domestic and international legal standards; and concludes that extraordinary renditions are contrary to U.S. and international laws and policy.  This report contributed to legislative efforts to end rendition.

Press release

The findings of this report have been cited by key actors, including ACLU; Center for Constitutional Rights; Council of Europe; and Human Rights First.

Americans on Hold: Profiling, Citizenship, and the "War on Terror" (2007)

The 63-page report documents the impact of expanded security checks on the lives of those experiencing citizenship delays, often for years on end.  The report analyzes these delays and their impact within an international human rights framework, and offers specific policy recommendations to help end discrimination in access to citizenship and other human rights violations.

Press release

Irreversible Consequences: Racial Profiling and Lethal Force in the "War on Terror" (2006)

This 71-page report critiques two trends in "shoot-to-kill" policies that are embodied in Training Keys issued by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP): the use of certain behavioral and other indicators to detect a suicide bomber that act as proxies for religious, racial, ethnic and nationality profiling; and removal of the usual safeguards that attach to the use of force when responding to the threat of suicide bombers.

Press release

Groundbreaking Report on Caste Discrimination in Nepal (2008)

Nepal’s new constitution must recognize and protect the fundamental human rights of Dalits, says a new report released today by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law. The report was released on the heels of Nepal’s historic Constituent Assembly elections held on April 10, 2008.

The 89-page report Recasting Justice: Securing Dalit Rights in Nepal’s New Constitution analyzes Nepal’s Interim Constitution to inform how the new constitution may be drafted in accordance with the country’s international human rights obligations to secure the rights of Dalits—a group which has faced more than 2000 years of systematic discrimination on the basis of caste. As Nepal prepares its new constitution after years of prolonged civil war, Recasting Justice provides Nepalese lawmakers with tangible means to demonstrate the country’s commitment to the inherent dignity and human rights of all individuals.

Hidden Apartheid: Caste Discrimination Against India's "Untouchables"(2007)

The 113-page report was produced as a “shadow report” in response to India’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Committee will review India’s compliance with the Convention during hearings in Geneva on February 23 and 26. The report was prepared by NYU School of Law's International Human Rights Clinic. Faculty Director Professor Smita Narula, Research Director Jayne Huckerby and Clinic students will present the report's findings in Geneva.

Press release

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Caste Discrimination and the Conflict in Nepal (2005)

This 65-page report charges that caste discrimination is both a root cause and insidious consequence of the conflict in Nepal.  This report was released during the meeting of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and its findings have been cited by key actors, including the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal.

Rights Groups Launch Groundbreaking Report on Right to Water in Haiti (2008)

Lack of access to clean water in Haiti has devastating health consequences and constitutes a clear violation of Haitians’ right to water according to both domestic and international legal obligations, claims a new report released today by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), Partners In Health (PIH), the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center (RFK Center), and Zanmi Lasante. The release of the report, “Wòch nan Soley: The Denial of the Right to Water in Haiti,” comes just months after public outrage over rising food prices led to a full-blown political crisis in Haiti.

The 87-page report—which combines health and water data gathered on the ground in Haiti, legal analysis, and discussion of the historical context—presents the findings of a joint project conducted by the groups, who worked together to research, author, and release it. The groups used human rights and public health methodologies to assess the right to water in Haiti by surveying community members, testing water sources, and meeting with community leaders and government officials.

On the Margins of Profit: Rights at Risk in the Global Economy (2008)

People in countries across the world are regularly harmed when businesses fail to respect basic human rights, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law.

The clear evidence of widespread abuse and government inaction detailed in the report shows that global standards are needed to ensure that corporate conduct respects internationally recognized human rights.

The 53-page report, On the Margins of Profit: Rights at Risk in the Global Economy, was jointly prepared by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. It illustrates how everyday business decisions have significant implications for the human rights of workers, local communities, suppliers, and consumers.

Press Release