results: 723 of 723 documents

• covid-19 and protection of right to life in places of detention

  special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions - n/a
  special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

  covid-19 and protection of right to life in places of detention

  Document Number

  human rights dispatch no. 2

  Year

  n/a

  Country

  global

  Document Type

  thematic report

  Keywords

  right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, people deprived of liberty

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  The obligation to ensure continuity of access to health care
  The State is also obliged to ensure continuity of treatment and care, including for drug dependence
  disease (Rule 24). Prisoners who require specialist treatment “shall be transferred to specialized
  institutions or to civil hospitals" (Rule 22(2)); a medical officer at the prison "should daily see all sick
  prisoners, all who complain of illness, and any prisoner to whom his attention is specially directed"
  (Rule 25(1)); and clinical decisions may only be taken by the responsible healthcare professionals and
  may not be overruled or ignored by non-medical prison staff. (Rule 27)
• concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of canada

  human rights committee (ccpr) - 2026
  human rights committee (ccpr)

  concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of canada

  Document Number

  ccpr/c/can/co/7

  Year

  2026

  Country

  canada

  Document Type

  concluding observations

  Keywords

  harm reduction, compulsory drug detention, racial and ethnic discrimination, people deprived of liberty, indigenous peoples

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  15. While taking note of the measures adopted by the State Party, including the Indigenous Justice Strategy, Canada’s Black Justice Strategy and the amendments to the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Committee remains concerned about overrepresentation, particularly of Indigenous people and people of African descent, within the criminal justice system. In this regard, the Committee notes with concern the disproportionately high rate of incarceration of Indigenous people, particularly Indigenous women, the obstacles they face in accessing justice and obtaining effective remedies; and the persistence of racial profiling practices by law enforcement officials. The Committee is also concerned by the reports of deaths in custody, particularly affecting individuals from racial minorities (arts. 2, 3, 6, 9, 14, 26 and 27).
  16. In the light of the Committee’s previous recommendations, and in line with the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the State Party should redouble its efforts to prevent and address the excessive incarceration of Indigenous people and people of African descent. It should, wherever possible, make greater use of alternatives to detention, including restorative justice programmes. The State Party should also investigate and prosecute all allegations of racial profiling and provide effective remedies to the victims, and step up efforts to train law enforcement officers to ensure that they do not engage, even unintentionally, in practices amounting to ethnic or racial profiling.

  33. The Committee is concerned about legislative frameworks in certain provinces that allow for the deprivation of liberty of persons merely on the basis of substance use, which may result in the detention and treatment of individuals without their free and informed consent. It is concerned about reports that in Manitoba provisions of The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act permit the involuntary detention of intoxicated persons for protection and care for up to 72 hours; that in Alberta the Compassionate Intervention Act allows for the involuntary apprehension, assessment and treatment of persons whose substance use is considered likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others; and that in Ontario the government has made it illegal to consume illicit drugs in public spaces, with potential penalties including imprisonment. The Committee is concerned about the very high number of deaths related to drug toxicity, which particularly affects persons experiencing homelessness and poverty and disproportionately affects Indigenous persons (arts. 6 and 9).
  34. The State Party should review its legal and policy frameworks concerning drug use and dependency with a view to ensuring that responses to drug situations are based primarily on public health, harm reduction and human rights considerations, rather than punitive approaches, in line with the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. It should also ensure that persons who use drugs are not detained solely on the basis of drug use, that treatment is voluntary and that informed consent is a precondition for any medical treatment or intervention.
• report of the independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran - 2026
  independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  report of the independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  Document Number

  a/hrc/61/60

  Year

  2026

  Country

  iran

  Document Type

  report

  Keywords

  right to life (incl. death penalty, extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings), death penalty, women, minorities and marginalised populations, right to a fair trial and due process

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  100. In 2025, at least 795 people were executed for drug-related offences pursuant to death sentences rendered by Revolutionary Courts, reflecting a 58 per cent increase since 2024.
  101. In cases investigated by the Mission, individuals, including women, were sentenced to death for transporting or temporarily storing quantities of drugs which exceeded the legal threshold established by the 2017 Anti-Narcotics Law. Individuals agreed to transport drugs due to economic hardship, and some were unaware of the content they had been asked to transport. Many were unable to afford a lawyer, rendering them more vulnerable to physical violence in custody. As in other cases before the Revolutionary Courts, the trials were reportedly brief, with the accused only having access to a state-appointed lawyer via video conference.
  118. The imposition of the death penalty further entrenches this pattern, as women are sentenced to death under discriminatory laws and following proceedings that disregard patterns of gender-based violence, including domestic violence. Some women, often from 15 marginalized provinces, were also executed for drug-related offences, despite minor or no direct involvement in the offence, and were not allowed to defend the charges against them.
• concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of uruguay

  committee on economic, social and cultural rights (cescr) - 2026
  committee on economic, social and cultural rights (cescr)

  concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of uruguay

  Document Number

  e/c.12/ury/co/6

  Year

  2026

  Country

  uruguay

  Document Type

  concluding observations

  Keywords

  right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, harm reduction, drugs, drug use, and people who use drugs, decriminalisation, children and young people

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  44. The Committee welcomes the progress made by the State Party towards adopting a drug use policy grounded in a right-to-health and harm-reduction approach. However, it is concerned that harm reduction programmes and services remain limited and are not distributed equitably across the country. It is also concerned about the persistent and disproportionate reliance on criminalization as a response to psychoactive substance use (art. 12).
  45. The Committee recommends that the State Party continue to strengthen its drug policy according to a rights-based approach by carrying out prevention and awareness-raising activities, particularly for adolescents and young people, regarding the serious health risks associated with drug use and ensure universal and equitable access throughout the country to treatment for substance use disorders, as well as to health services, psychological support, rehabilitation services and harm reduction programmes for persons who use substances. The Committee further recommends that the State Party reconsider its punitive approach toward persons who use drugs and
  prioritize treatment and rehabilitation over punitive measures in order to protect the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
• health as an enabler of dignity report of the special rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

  special rapporteur on health - 2026
  special rapporteur on health

  health as an enabler of dignity report of the special rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

  Document Number

  a/hrc/62/66

  Year

  2026

  Country

  global

  Document Type

  thematic report

  Keywords

  right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, meaningful participation, harm reduction, decriminalisation, maximum available resources

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  36. Confidentiality in healthcare settings is essential to trust and to care-seeking. Weak confidentiality safeguards expose individuals to stigma, violence and legal repercussions and create systemic barriers for marginalized groups, including people living with HIV, migrants, adolescents, older persons, sex workers and people who use drugs. 59. Criminalization and punitive policies can further exclude individuals from care. Sex workers may avoid treatment for fear of retaliation or referral to the criminal justice system; people who use drugs may avoid care due to fear of punishment; and abortion-seekers may resort to unsafe practices to avoid detection, delaying care even when complications arise. 74. She reiterates that harm reduction approaches are essential, where punitive frameworks increase health harm. Measures such as needle and syringe exchange programmes, opioid agonist therapy, drug checking, overdose prevention and social support can reduce preventable morbidity and mortality and uphold dignity. 181. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States and other relevant stakeholders: (a) Adopt legal frameworks that guarantee confidentiality, privacy and informed consent, with safeguards for communities at heightened risk of stigma or criminalization, and ensure accessible and reliable health information; (b) Repeal punitive frameworks that criminalize health-related behaviours, identities or conditions and that create barriers to care and adopt harm reduction measures to mitigate harm and protect access to services; (e) Ensure that health services, including mental health services, are available, accessible, acceptable and of high quality for historically marginalized populations, including through culturally safe care and community-based services; (h) Ensure mechanisms for transparency and meaningful participation in decision-making spaces among communities whose health and well-being are affected by those decisions, including those that have been historically excluded and marginalized; (n) Integrate palliative care and the principle of dignity in old age into health systems and policies, train health workers, ensure autonomy and relief from avoidable suffering, including through the availability of essential medicines for pain relief, and address barriers to access, including stigma around end-of-life care
  (o) Ensure that health financing and governance, including for example procurement policies, reflect the principles of good stewardship and substantive equality, including through targeted outreach, the removal of administrative barriers and ensuring affordability for low-income populations; (q) Where punitive laws remain, adopt measures to reduce discriminatory policing, prevent violence and ensure non-discriminatory access to health services, including HIV prevention and treatment; (t) Support research and data collection that is ethical, participatory and rights-based, while ensuring strong privacy protections and avoiding stigmatizing data
  practices;
  (u) Ensure that participation is inclusive of women, adolescents, older persons, persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other gender-diverse persons, people who use drugs, sex workers, migrants and racialized communities, among others; (y) Repeal punitive frameworks and align domestic policies with public health, human rights and harm reduction; decriminalization is necessary for the right to health to be realized;
• report of the special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, ben saul

  special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism - 2026
  special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

  report of the special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, ben saul

  Document Number

  a/hrc/61/52

  Year

  2026

  Country

  global

  Document Type

  thematic report

  Keywords

  drugs, drug use, and people who use drugs, right to a fair trial and due process

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  44. While criminal law does not usually include motive as an element, international and national criminal laws have recognized motive-based distinctions, such as piracy for “private ends” and organized crime for a “financial or other material benefit”. Grave recent abuses of counter-terrorism laws against drug cartels and gangs, where they are not politically or ideologically motivated, further support the need for a sharp distinction. Proportionate amendments to organized crime laws could be adopted where necessary instead of unjustifiably escalating to a counter-terrorism paradigm.
• rights of indigenous peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations study by the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples

  expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples - 2026
  expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples

  rights of indigenous peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations study by the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples

  Document Number

  a/hrc/63/65

  Year

  2026

  Country

  global

  Document Type

  report

  Keywords

  indigenous peoples, right to a healthy environment

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  70. Environmental harm linked to armed violence and resources significantly impairs Indigenous Peoples’ economic and social rights. In the Amazon region of Brazil, mercury contamination from illegal mining has undermined access to safe drinking water and fisheries, compromising food security, health and cultural practices such as fishing, hunting and harvesting activities for the Yanomami, Munduruku and Xikrin peoples. A similar impact is reported across the Amazon regions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), where illicit mining and drug trafficking contaminate water sources, undermine subsistence economies and basic services and exacerbate displacement, exploitation and violence against Indigenous Peoples, amid inadequate State responses. (...)
• report on women’s and girls’ right to health in afghanistan

  special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in afghanistan - 2026
  special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in afghanistan

  report on women’s and girls’ right to health in afghanistan

  Document Number

  a/hrc/61/63

  Year

  2026

  Country

  afghanistan

  Document Type

  report

  Keywords

  women, right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, compulsory drug detention

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  89. Health concerns are further pronounced for women who use drugs – around 10% of drug
  users in Afghanistan, particularly in the north. Under the Taliban, drug use is treated
  primarily as a criminal offense rather than a public health issue, and drug users can face
  corporal punishment, detention, and forced treatment. Most drug treatment centres cater to
  men, with far fewer facilities for women, significantly limiting their access to care. Funding
  cuts since 2021 have sharply reduced service availability: by 2023 approximately 44% of
  drug treatment centres had closed, while only 10% remained operational, many on severely
  reduced budgets.
• consolidated findings of the independent international factfinding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran - 2026
  independent international fact-finding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  consolidated findings of the independent international factfinding mission on the islamic republic of iran

  Document Number

  a/hrc/61/crp.2

  Year

  2026

  Country

  iran

  Document Type

  report

  Keywords

  right to life (incl. death penalty, extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings), death penalty, women, minorities and marginalised populations, right to a fair trial and due process

  Download the report

  281. Credible information indicated that many of those executed on drug-related offenses had played relatively minor roles in committing the offense for which they were sentenced to death. This includes transporting or temporarily storing quantities of drugs above the legal threshold required for the imposition of the death penalty. Witness interviews, and statements obtained from lawyers, former detainees and experts further indicated that judges rarely consider exculpating evidence, and as long as the drug quantity meets the legal threshold quantity, they issue death sentences regardless.
  282. Against the backdrop of an overall dire economic situation and increasing socioeconomic disparities in Iran, persons from marginalized backgrounds, including minorities, are likely to be lured by drug traffickers with small sums of money, with some not even aware that they are transporting drugs, according to credible information. According to a witness, a woman was arrested at the age of 17 years, along with her infant child, although her drugtrafficking spouse escaped, a Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death because she was left in possession of the drugs.
  283. Moreover, according to civil society organizations and legal experts, judges at Revolutionary Courts have adopted overly broad interpretations of aggravating factors, such as an alleged leadership role of the defendant, or the presence of an armed accomplice, to sentence minor drug dealers to death, even when the amount of the drugs involved was below the legal threshold that would trigger the death penalty.
  286. The Government of Iran does not publish census data on ethnicity and does not collect demographic data for “non-recognized” religions. It is particularly difficult to gather disaggregated data on executions of religious and ethnic minorities, also because of the lack of Government transparency in relation to the overall data on persons executed, or sentenced to death, along with the geographic spread of minorities beyond specific regions into major urban areas. According to State-affiliated media, Sistan and Baluchestan province recorded the highest number of executions per capita in 2025.

  288. The Baluch ethnic minority, which constitutes approximately 2 to 6 per cent of Iran’s population, has long accounted for a disproportionately high number of executions, including for drug-related offences. Between 2021 and 2024, 519 Baluch were executed, which represented 19 per cent of the total number of executed individuals for that period.526 Between 2021 and 2024, 393 out of 1,356 reported victims of drug-related executions (29 per cent of the total) were members of the Baluch ethnic and religious minority.
  291. As noted above, witness interviews, credible information, and open-source material indicated that investigative and judicial processes in death penalty cases are regularly marred gross violations of due process and the right to fair trial, including reported reliance on confessions obtained under torture. The accused in drug cases are even more vulnerable to such violations as many lack the financial means to access adequate defense; such cases also receive less scrutiny from civil society organizations and the media, according to credible sources.
  292. According to credible reports, many persons prosecuted for drug-related offenses are arrested without a warrant during mass anti-drug police operations. According to official media, in one such case in Tehran in September 2025, a total of “12,000 drug addicts and 5,670 drug dealers were arrested in public roads and places.” State affiliated media further noted that the operation, described by the FARAJA Anti-Narcotics Police as the 21st operation under its “Calm City Plan” led to the arrest of “253 traffickers, the dismantling of 41 small and large drug-trafficking networks, and the detention of 4,380 individuals involved in related activities such as possession, transport, and distribution.”
  293. Moreover, according to one witness, many individuals arrested in anti-drug police operations lacked the financial means to hire a lawyer of their choice and were thereforewithout legal representation during the investigative stage, when they were often subjected to lengthy pre-trial detention under the control of the Anti-Narcotics Agency. Two witnesses joined credible human rights organizations in stating that, even where defendants can afford to have a lawyer of their choice, judges do not take the time to fully consider the available incriminating and exculpating evidence and the individual circumstances of the case.
  294. In the cases investigated by the Mission, trials were often summary in nature, with the defendants mainly participating via video conference, which further reduced their ability to effectively defend themselves or confer with their lawyer. According to one witness, in October 2025, during a trial held before a Revolutionary Court, more than a dozen defendants were indicted for drug offenses. The trial was concluded within one hour, with the defendants only joining via video conference. The lawyers representing the defendants were given ten minutes each to defend their individual clients. Some of the defendants were sentenced to death and others received long-term prison sentences. Another witness observed a trial against a woman accused of drug offenses before a Revolutionary Court in Tehran, which lasted a total of two to three minutes and in which the judge told the defendant “You know your sentence is death” without reviewing the evidence of the case .

  295. In some cases, executions were carried out while defendants were still awaiting retrial. According to a court document, one individual was executed reportedly after his case had been sent for review by the Supreme Court, and before a final decision was issued.

  297. According to credible information, individuals on death row were subjected to beatings, waterboarding and electric shocks amounting to torture. Many were held in solitary confinement and prevented from contacting their families or a lawyer for prolonged periods of time, in acts amounting to incommunicado detention. In one case, two men arrested and detained for alleged membership of an opposition group were subjected to sleep deprivation, waterboarding, electric shocks, beating and flogging, prior to being sentenced to death. The spouse and child of one of the men were also detained in order to force him to “confess” on camera. His confession was broadcast on State television before his trial and subsequent execution.

  387. As noted above, drug-related offences constitute the second most common category of executions and death sentences in Iran (see section VI), and in 2024, at least 12 women were reported to have been executed on such charges. According to credible information, drug-related cases involving women that result in the death penalty were marked by gross fair trial and due process violations, including denial of a lawyer of own choice, and in some instances trials that lasted only minutes. 635. The Mission reiterates its previous recommendations, which regrettably have not been implemented to date, and makes additional recommendations as outlined in A/HRC/CRP.155 and A/HRC/58/CRP.1 as follows:
  A. To the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
  (a). Immediately halt all executions, including of protesters and implement a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to complete abolition of the death penalty for all crimes;
  (b). Immediately and unconditionally release all persons detained arbitrarily, including in the context of the protests, including women and children;
  (c). Ensure that family members are immediately informed of the whereabouts of detained individuals;
  (d). Cease and desist from any practices, including those described in the present document, that amount to torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including acts of sexual and gender-based violence and the use of solitary confinement and enforced disappearances; (...)
  (g). Provide access to justice, due process, and fair trial guarantees to all protesters charged with offences, in line with international human rights standards;
  (h). Ensure victims and their families the right to mourn their loved ones without threat, intimidation or fear of reprisals;
  (i). End the harassment, including judicial harassment, of protesters, their families and those seeking truth, justice and reparations in the context of the protests, including journalists, lawyers, medical professionals and human rights defenders;
  (j). Undertake, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations, into alleged violations of international human rights, and international criminal law described in this document, including in relation to the protests that began on 28 December 2025, in accordance with international standards.
  
• concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of australia

  committee on economic, social and cultural rights (cescr) - 2026
  committee on economic, social and cultural rights (cescr)

  concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of australia

  Document Number

  e/c.12/aus/co/6

  Year

  2026

  Country

  australia

  Document Type

  concluding observations

  Keywords

  harm reduction, right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, children and young people, indigenous peoples

  Download the report

  44. The Committee welcomes the State Party’s harm reduction approach to drug policy, including attention given to local populations’ needs. However, it is concerned about the limited number of supervised injecting facilities, operating in only two states; regional disparities in effective access to opioid substitution therapies and essential medicines across the territory; and the persistence of criminal penalties for minor drug-related offences (art. 12).
  45. The Committee recommends that the State Party adopt, under its drug policies, the measures necessary to maintain and strengthen a human rights-based approach, carrying out prevention and awareness-raising activities on the serious health risks associated with drug use, particularly among adolescents and young people; guarantee universal access to treatment for substance use disorders, providing health services, psychological support, rehabilitation services and harm reduction programmes for persons who use substances; and ensure that healthcare services for Indigenous persons who use psychoactive substances are ethnically, culturally and linguistically appropriate
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