Castan Centre for Human Rights Law

Author: Joanna Kyriakakis

  • Another chimpanzee personhood claim fails, but there’s hope yet

    By Joanna Kyriakakis Late last week, Judge Barbara Jaffe of the New York State Supreme Court declined to recognise the personhood of two chimpanzees, Hercules and Leo, for the purpose of a habeas corpus claim brought on their behalf. The chimpanzees are in the custody of Stony Brook University, where they are used for scientific research.…

  • The 2015 Human Rights Report – The International Criminal Court’s Africa Problem

    By Joanna Kyriakakis This article is featured in the 2015 Castan Centre Human Rights Report. We will be featuring the articles on the blog throughout the month of May.  In 2014, Andrew Wilkie MP proposed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and his cabinet for crimes against asylum seekers. Similar calls were made…

  • The Debate about having a debate about a business and human rights treaty

    By Joanna Kyriakakis The current debate about the desirability of renewing discussions on a UN Business and Human Rights treaty frustrates me a little. There. I said it. I am not referring to conversations about what the substance of any treaty might look like, which will in due course be necessary. Rather, it is opposition…

  • Rights and the non-human animal

    By Joanna Kyriakakis In news that recently made the rounds on social media, an Argentine court reportedly held that an Orangutan named Sandra was a non-human person with the right to freedom from arbitrary detention. Media reports, examples of which can be found here and here, indicated the successful use of habeas corpus to have…

  • 2014 Castan Human Rights Report: Corporations now less accountable

    By Joanna Kyriakakis The Bangladesh Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 was a stark reminder of the human costs of a poorly regulated global economy. A supplier of major retailers like Benetton, Walmart and Coles, the garment factory collapsed as a result of poor construction and little safety regulation. 1,129 people died, making it the worst…

  • Too big to be sued? US Supreme Court further limits corporate human rights litigation

    By Joanna Kyriakakis In 2013, the major story on big business and human rights was the US Supreme Court’s decision in Kiobel. For decades, US federal courts have provided victims of corporate related human rights abuses a rare forum to have their complaints heard. These cases often relate to corporate activity in the developing world…

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