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A New Guide Shows the Way Forward on Expanding Access to Justice
A new guide produced by the Open Society Justice Initiative with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides a road-map for the development of national tools to assess and improve access to justice.
![Two women reading paperwork together.](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/306fea33-4814-47fe-93a9-63051fb81ed6/20190620-sharma-nepal-idenitity-026-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
Interview: Why the OAS Faces a Credibility Test over its Human Rights Commission
Professor Judith Schönsteiner, a leading Chilean jurist, discusses the challenge facing the Organization of American States: there are more seats available to fill at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission than there are qualified candidates.
Q&A: Using the Law to Confront Poverty in India
Colin Gonsalves talks to James A. Goldston of the Open Society Justice Initiative about his approach to using the law to achieve social and economic change.
![Colin Gonsalves speaking at a dinner in New York in October, 2015.](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/bcb4a1e4-7e79-4ec1-9fc0-914ae440ce2d/20190821-savenok-gonsalves-colin-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1875)
Using Human Rights to Challenge a Home Repossession Order in Romania
A Romanian court is being asked whether the safeguards of the European Union's rights charter apply when people face the loss of their home, after falling into arrears on mortgage payments.
![People holding signs at a demonstration](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/c4c93d75-9116-4c32-bf63-12465d895f4a/20190730-ghirda-romania-busharest-mortgages-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
Q&A: Mothers Are Leading the Search for Mexico’s Missing People
Mexico continues to break records for its rates of deadly violence and disappearances, but criminal accountability remains virtually absent. A group of mothers in the state of Coahuila have taken up their own fight for truth and justice.
![A woman placing photographs on a street](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/5f3d2987-011a-4606-9c3e-516b56a07da9/20190822-cuttica-mexico-mothers-disappeared-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
Almost a Decade after his Death, Sergei Magnitsky Gets a Measure of Justice
The ruling from Europe's human rights court validates the underlying rationale for the laws adopted by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and some other countries to impose sanctions on designated individuals implicated in gross human rights abuses.
![The tombstone at the grave of lawyer Sergey Magnitsky at a cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on November 16, 2012.](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/29f2be54-9471-42d8-aaef-f0fb34cc12c2/20190828-japaridze-russia-magnitsky-grave-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
A Looming Threat to Equal Citizenship in America
A new report by Open Society Justice Initiative argues that three techniques are currently being used by the U.S. government to attack the identity and sense of belonging of U.S. citizens.
![A woman holds her daughter during a naturalization ceremony.](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/84523ceb-fcd6-429b-9391-a95372eb0757/page-42-2-2018-angerer-ny-naturalization.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C6019%2C3762)
Case Watch: UN Finds Mexico Responsible for Man’s Disappearance, Relies on Witness’s Word
There are more than 40,000 people who are missing in Mexico. One family’s journey to find out what happened to their son could help others seeking justice.
![Mother holding sign of disappeared son](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/9935a38c-0965-4c06-81ba-3200c869249d/20191105-zuno-padilla-maria-0506-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
Excellence, not Politics, should Choose the Judges at the ICC
Nominations and elections of judicial candidates at the International Criminal Court often overlook merit-based considerations in favor of political interests. It's time for reform.
![View of the International Criminal Court.](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/3fd318a7-1731-495e-8d9d-4bc4bfc6cd21/20191029-corder-icc-netherlands-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
Q&A: Amid Rising Stop and Search Rates in England & Wales, a Better Model Emerges
A unique partnership between police and community members in Northamptonshire, UK, shows how police officers can improve community relations and trust, while also practicing effective policing.
![Police perform stop and search in Northamptonshire](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/727cd75f-1db4-48cb-8e9a-1fdec9060a76/20150715-jackson-uk-northamptonshire-police-9873-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
Case Watch: Ukraine ICJ Ruling Strengthens Protections against Discriminatory Use of Citizenship Law
In agreeing to proceed with a complaint by Ukraine against the Russian Federation, the International Court of Justice underlined the principle that states cannot use exclusionary citizenship laws to discriminate, and that such action can be challenged before its judges.
![A man views a crowd of protesters from inside a bus](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/b666738f-f248-41c4-be50-abbd5d71904e/20191120-katsarova-crimea-1202714276-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
New Report Takes Stock of Court Reparations Rulings across Latin America
Courts across Latin America have developed innovative approaches to the challenge of delivering reparations to the victims of violence. A new report outlines lessons learned.
![Two indigenous women and a child at a ceremony in Mexico City](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/8cbc922a-a5e8-4a78-8e75-46badbe7f71e/20191120-estrella-mexico-indigenous-women-prison-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
Building Roads to Justice in Syria
The Open Society Justice Initiative is part of a broad movement of Syrian and international groups that are bringing some of those responsible for atrocity crimes in Syria before courts in Europe.
![A smoke filled street with damaged cars and buildings](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/b1c54e2d-8878-4fd0-b895-7d1f802cf4bb/20191217-nour-syria-damascus-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
Kenya’s Controversial Digital ID Scheme Faces Pushback
Kenya ushered in a national biometric ID system with little public input. Now, advocates are challenging the government in the courts to ensure inclusive policies and data privacy.
![A woman being photographed](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/3c81431e-c85c-4faa-b61a-bbab92e3cacc/20191217-maina-kenya-id-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
How Mozambicans Shoulder the Burdens of Corruption
While substantial progress has been made in identifying those involved in Mozambique's debt scandal, more must be done to secure a fair outcome for every day citizens.
![People standing in a line before a nurse](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/6d8b5f25-8cd3-449b-b6b4-cea6de25a91b/20200228-guercia-mozambique-health-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1875)
Q&A: How a System to Document Police Stops Improved Policing in Fuenlabrada, Spain
Police inspector and criminal justice expert David Martín Abánades shares his insights on the implementation of a new system to collect data on police stops in Fuenlabrada, Spain.
![A woman in a group handing her identification card to a police officer](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/bb7002a1-2bc9-4863-9833-1a6a4d4087ba/20200310-dominguez-spain-police-id-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
How a Legal Aid Program is Tackling the Crisis of Nigeria’s Overcrowded Prisons
In Nigeria, the overuse of pretrial detentions has placed a crushing burden on the justice system and the nation's overcrowded jails. That's where the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme, a legal aid program that has helped over 15,000 suspects, comes in.
![Three people at a table in a police station](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/a35cdd0e-deee-44dc-bb09-0c9cad651f72/20200313-kurzen-nigeria-pre-trial-detention-027-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875)
COVID-19 Poses a Threat to Justice. We Must Respond.
Read about the Open Society Justice Initiative's global work to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
![Woman holding a candle](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/f54fb5da-ac8b-42bc-8c92-2c26195585ae/20200427-eisele-new-york-city-prison-coronavirus-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
Striking Essential Workers Are Today’s Human Rights Defenders
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it all too clear that it is time corporate businesses like Amazon listened to their workers, saw them as partners, and respected their rights.
![Protestors wearing face coverings and holding signs](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/c50c78ec-cf3e-4f03-9691-bc1285c81301/20200501-platt-ny-coronavirus-protest-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
A Pilot Program in Ukraine is a Bold Step Toward Ensuring Transparency and Rights after Arrest
A correctional intake process pilot project supported by the Justice Initiative ensuring that police make an electronic record of all arrests in Ukraine represents progress toward guaranteeing precedural rights in the criminal justice system.
![A police officer driving a vehicle toward a detention center](https://osjicontent.imgix.net/uploads/a23b9c5f-79a2-48b1-9fe9-f8f77d7eb19a/20200521-kharchenko-ukraine-pretrial-detention-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)