A Tribute to Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, KBE: Reflections on 50 Years of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

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Acknowledgements

The authors, who contributed equal parts, are listed alphabetically. We are indebted to Professors Geoff Gilbert, Noam Lubell, and Jens Vedsted-Hansen, and Drs Fenella Billing and Louise Halleskov Storgaard for comments and suggestions on earlier drafts. All errors are of course our own. Van Ho was fortunate to have had Nigel as her LLM supervisor and the chair of her PhD board at the University of Essex. At the time of his death, they were editing the Research Handbook on Human Rights: Institutions and Enforcement, which is scheduled to be published by Elgar in 2018.

Notes

1 999 UNTS 171, adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 23 March 1976.

2 See Amnesty International, ‘Nigel Rodley: 1941–2017’ (26 January 2017). <www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/01/nigel-rodley-1941-2017/> accessed 9 March 2017.

3 Geoff Gilbert, et al., ‘Professor Sir Nigel Rodley Obituary’ University of Essex (22 March 2017). <www.essex.ac.uk/news/event.aspx?e_id=12022> accessed 30 March 2017.

4 Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Adopted by General Assembly resolution 3452 (XXX) (9 December 1975).

5 Geoffrey Robertson, ‘Sir Nigel Rodley Obituary: Human Rights Lawyer Committed to Eradicating Torture’ The Guardian (2 February 2017). <www.theguardian.com/law/2017/feb/02/sir-nigel-rodley-obituary> accessed 30 March 2017. See, Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, UNGA Res. 39/36, UN Doc. A/39/1 (1984), entered into force 26 June 1987. 

6 Gilbert (n 3).

7 Robertson (n 5).

8 UNGA Res 217A (III), UN Doc A/810, 71 (1948).

9 993 UNTS 3, adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 3 January 1976.

10 115 ratifications as of 15 March 2017.

11 See Economic and Social Council resolution 1985/17, UN Doc E/RES/1985/17 (28 May 1985), para f.

12 For a more detailed consideration see Nigel Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Learning from Experience’ esp 6 for a conclusion as to the possible future of international human rights protection.

13 ibid 2.

14 Nigel S Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ in Dinah Shelton (ed), The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law (OUP 2013) 627–29.

15 ibid 627.

16 ibid 629–30.

17 ibid.

18 ICCPR art 40 (4).

19 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 628, 631.

20 ibid 631.

21 ibid.

22 See for example Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (n 12).

23 ibid 3–4; Nigel S Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies and the Human Rights Council’ in Helen Keller and Geir Ulfstein (eds), UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies: Law and Legitimacy (CUP 2012) 326.

24 Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (n 12) 2.

25 ibid 4–5.

26 ibid 4. It should be noted that the crime of aggression is now also within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

27 Nigel Rodley, ‘Securing Redress and Overcoming Impunity – Some Reflections’ (2012) 16(5) The International Journal of Human Rights 692; see also Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 628–30.

28 Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (n 12) 6.

29 See generally Rodley, ‘Securing Redress’ (n 27). While NGOs cannot file individual complaints with the Human Rights Committee, they can work with victims to support the bringing of such complaints. 

30 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 639: ‘ …  in certain procedural matters, [the treaty bodies’] decisions are binding.’

31 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 344.

32 ibid 326.

33 As Nigel pointed out, however, the fact that the Committee's determinations had the ‘formal status’ of recommendations ‘does not dispose of the matter’, as the Committee's work can ‘ …  contribute to community expectations of appropriate state behavior under human rights treaty obligations’ and are often subsequently incorporated into the determinations of judicial bodies whose judgments are binding: see Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 639–40.

34 See e.g. Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion, ICJ reports 2004, p 136 (9 July), paras 109–10.

35 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 621; Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 322.

36 Nigel S Rodley, ‘The United Nations and Human Rights in the Middle East’ (1971) 38 Social Research 218.

37 Charter of the United Nations, 1 UNTS XVI (24 October 1945), art 2(7); Rodley, ‘The United Nations and Human Rights in the Middle East’ (n 37) 218–19. 

38 See Hersch Lauterpacht, International Law and Human Rights (Stevens & Sons, 1950) 232. See also Rodley, ‘The United Nations and Human Rights in the Middle East’ (n 37) 219. 

39 See Rodley, ‘The United Nations and Human Rights in the Middle East’ (n 37) 218–21.

40 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 621–22.

41 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 333; ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 628.

42 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 628.

43 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 326.

44 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 639. 

45 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 332.

46 ibid.

47 ibid. 

48 ibid.

49 ibid.

50 See ibid 352.

51 ibid 352; see also UNGA Res 64/152 (26 March 2010), UN Doc. A/Res/64/152, paras 9–10.

52 UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/33 (25 June 2009).

53 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 352. 

54 See ibid 352.

55 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 642; see also, Nigel Rodley, ‘Duplication and Divergence in the Work of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies: A Perspective from a Treaty Body Member’ (2011) 105 American Society of International Law Proceedings 512.

56 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 645.

57 See ibid 645–46.

58 ibid 625.

59 ibid. 

60 ibid. 

61 ibid 626. 

62 ibid. 

63 See Rodley, ‘Duplication and Divergence’ (n 55) 514.

64 See ibid; Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 328. 

65 Rodley, ‘Duplication and Divergence’ (n 55) 515.

66 Rodley, ‘UN Treaty Bodies’ (n 24) 328. 

67 ibid 329. 

68 ibid. 

69 Rodley, ‘Duplication and Divergence’ (n 55) 514.

70 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 642. 

71 ibid 629.

72 ibid 630. 

73 ibid 642.

74 ibid 643.

75 ibid 629–31. 

76 ICCPR (n 1) art 35.

77 UN General Assembly Resolution 56/272 (23 April 2002), UN Doc A/Res/56/272. See also, Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 630, fn 32.

78 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 630–31. 

79 ibid 624.

80 See e.g. Martin Scheinin, ‘The Proposed Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: A Blueprint for UN Human Rights Treaty Body Reform – Without Amending the Existing Treaties’ (2006) 6 Human Rights Law Review 131; Michael Bowman, ‘Towards a Unified Treaty Body for Monitoring Compliance with UN Human rights Conventions? Legal Mechanisms for Treaty Reform’ (2007) 7 Human Rights Law Review 225; Michael O’Flaherty, ‘Reform of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body System: Locating the Dublin Statement’ (2010)10 Human Rights Law Review 319; John Morijn, ‘Reforming the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Reform’ (2011) 58 Netherlands International Law Review 295; Suzanne Egan, ‘Strengthening the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System’ (2013) 13 Human Rights Law Review 209; Yuval Shany, ‘The Effectiveness of the Human Rights Committee and the Treaty Body Reform’ in Martin Breuer and others (eds), Der Staat im Recht: Festschrift für Eckart Klein Zum 70. Geburtstag (Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2013) 1307; Manfred Nowak, ‘Comments on the UN High Commissioner's Proposals Aimed at Strengthening the UN Human Rights Treaty Body System’ (2013) 31 Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights 3.

81 Rodley, ‘Duplication and Divergence’ (n 55) 512; ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 643. 

82 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 643. 

83 See ibid 643, n 73. 

84 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, UNGA Res 61/177, UN Doc A/Res/61/177 (2006), adopted 20 December 2006, entered into force 23 December 2010.

85 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 643–44. 

86 See ‘Concept Paper on the High Commissioner's Proposal for a Unified Standing Treaty Body’ UN Doc. HRI/MC/2006/2 (22 March 2006) paras 27ff. 

87 Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 645.

88 ibid 646. 

89 See ‘Report of the Working Group on the Harmonization of Working Methods of Treaty Bodies’ UN Doc HRI/MC/2007/2 (9 January 2007) para 5; Navanethem Pillay, ‘Strengthening the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System: A Report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (2012) p 68. <www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/HRTD/docs/HCReportTBStrengthening.pdf>. This proposal followed internal debate within the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which generated several other suggestions from committee members. ‘Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 66th and 67th Sessions’ (2005), UN Doc A/60/18 (Supp) para 478. 

90 See ‘Strengthening of the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change’ Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc A/57/387 (9 September 2002) para 54. See also, ‘Report of the Working Group on the Harmonization of Working Methods of Treaty Bodies’ UN Doc HRI/MC/2007/2 (9 January 2007) paras 6, 14; Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 646. 

91 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 647. 

92 HRC, ‘Focused reports based on replies to list of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR): Implementation of the new optional reporting procedure (LOIPR procedure)’ (29 September 2010), UN Doc CCPR/C/99/4. 

93 See Rodley, ‘The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies’ (n 14) 630. 

94 ibid. 

95 See ibid. 

96 ibid 629.

97 ibid 630.

98 ibid 629–30. 

99 The two served at Essex together from Nigel's appointment in 1990 until Kevin Boyle's passing in 2010. See also Nigel Rodley, ‘Obituary of Christopher Kevin Boyle’ (2011) 33 Human Rights Quarterly 586.

100 UN Doc A/63/435, adopted 10 December 2008, entered into force 5 May 2013.

101 Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (n 12) 4.

102 ibid 6; see also Nigel S Rodley, ‘The Prohibition of Torture: Absolute Means Absolute’ (2006) 34 (1) Denver Journal of International Law and Policy 145, esp 146–47.

103 Rodley, ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (n 12) 6.